


I Hope You Dance

by wickedarcher_08



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Birth, Blow Jobs, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hand Jobs, Hospitals, Impregnation Kink, Infertility, M/M, Medical Procedures, Mpreg, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Kink, Pregnant Harry, Pregnant Sex, Smut, Trying to concieve, birth preparation, graphic depictions of birth, natural birth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2019-07-16 11:28:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 83,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16085210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedarcher_08/pseuds/wickedarcher_08
Summary: Louis and Harry have been struggling with infertility for over a year. After many failed attempts, they decide to seek a specialist, but they end up with more than they ever dreamed.





	1. Trying to Conceive

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chelseafrew](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chelseafrew/gifts).



> Prompt: Harry is pregnant with multiples (twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc.). How do he and Louis prepare? Bonus points if it's a difficult pregnancy involving scary moments, bedrest, early babies, etc., but ends with healthy babies.
> 
> Also HUGE thank you to my friend Zoe who answered all of my questions about pregnancy without actually knowing why. She also told me many stories which I was able to use for inspiration. This wouldn't be what it is without her. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I am aware that anatomy does not allow men to give a natural birth, but just go with it. I used a bit of artistic licence for this fic lol.

“Baby! I’m home!” Louis calls walking through the door of the house he shares with his husband of three years. He is met with an eerie silence, which worries him. Harry is usually sat in front of the TV with a his laptop in his hands or doing Yoga on a mat in the living room. It is almost never this quiet when he gets home. A chill runs up his spine. 

He hangs his keys on the hook by the door and toes off his shoes, climbing the stairs in search of his husband. Once he reaches the landing, he hears soft noises coming from the direction of their bedroom. He slowly and quietly starts making his way towards the noise, heart dropping once he realizes that they are actually quiet sobs.

He walks into their bedroom, but finds the room empty, however the noise has gotten louder. He makes his way into their ensuite, and the sight he is met with makes his stomach drop. Harry is curled into the corner of their bathroom between the toilet and the bathtub with something clutched in one large hand. His face is hidden away, resting on his tattooed arm and knees, whole body shaking with the force of his tears. He looks so small at that moment, Louis wants to put him in his pocket and hide him away from the world. 

“Oh. Baby, what’s wrong?” Louis asks worriedly, quickly falling to his knees in front of Harry’s curled up form. Harry doesn’t look up, or even act like he heard Louis’ question. Louis feels helpless, but he must get to the bottom of what has his husband so upset. He grabs Harry’s arm and begins prying the object out of his hand. Once it is free, he holds it up. His heart drops when he realizes it is a negative pregnancy test. Yet another one in the long list of failed attempts. 

“Oh baby, don’t cry. It’s alright,” Louis soothes, holding back his own tears and throwing the offending object in the trash, out of sight. They don’t need the reminder of another failed month. He starts running his fingers through Harry’s messy curls and rubbing his shoulder and arms.

“No, s’not.” Harry’s wail is muffled by his arm, after what feels like an eternity of silence.

“Love, will you look at me?” Louis asks, bending his head a bit to try to see his husband’s face. It’s of no use, his arm and hair are covering it.

“I don’t wanna,” Harry answers, his sobs quietening down into hiccups.

“Come on, baby. I need you to look at me,” Louis tries, pulling at Harry’s warm arm. The limb finally falls in defeat, allowing Louis to take one small hand and place it under Harry’s chin, forcing his gaze up. “There you are, my beautiful husband,” Louis says softly. Even though Harry’s face is red and blotchy and his eyes are brimmed with tears, he still looks so fucking beautiful it hurts.

“I just—I just, d-don’t understand,” Harry finally says, the last part coming out in a sob. He tries to drop his gaze again, but Louis keeps a finger under his chin forcing his head to stay up. His plump lower lip wobbles as he fights his own tears in an attempt to stop them from falling freely. His nose twitches and he blinks his eyes hard a few times, clearly struggling to keep his emotions in check. 

“I know, love. I know. It’s hard,” Louis soothes, not really knowing what else to say. He takes his thumb and swipes it over Harry’s swollen bottom lip, pulling the area down with the movement. 

“It’s been a year and a half, Lou. Why can’t I get pregnant? Every day, I see someone else I know announcing a pregnancy. It feels like every time I turn around another person is saying that they are pregnant, and they weren’t even trying, Lou! It isn’t fair! How come they deserve it, but we don’t? Are we bad people? Does the Universe not think we are fit enough for parenthood? There are so many people who have kids and don’t even want them! We want one. I think we would be great parents. The baby would be so loved, but it…” Harry’s bottom lip begins trembling again, a single tear escaping. Louis is quick to wipe it away with his thumb, cradling Harry’s strong jaw in his hands. His heart breaks a tiny bit more because Harry’s right. It isn’t fair. It’s not fair at all, and he doesn’t know what to say to his husband to make him feel better.

“I know, love. I know.” Is all he says, kissing Harry’s forehead and pulling him against his chest into a hug. The angle is awkward, but the warmth is still there. Harry maneuvers into Louis’ lap, the larger man arranging his long limbs around Louis’ smaller form, but Louis doesn't complain. He wants Harry to seek him for comfort. Harry starts crying again, wetting Louis’ shirt with fat tears. Louis runs his fingers through Harry’s dark curls and rubs his back, allowing his husband to get it all out while willing himself not to cry. He needs to be strong for Harry.

“I just—this month, I thought it was different, you know. Like, I wasn’t feeling well this week and—and we, like, knew I was ovulating, but it wasn’t. I’m not. I just—I hate myself for getting my hopes up. I convinced myself that it was true, and now—now—I was so stupid, Lou.” Harry’s words are muffled into the fabric of Louis’ shirt. The sentences came out choppy, his hot breaths beginning to come out in puffs on Louis’ neck. Louis is briefly worried that Harry is going to have an asthma attack. He thinks about where his inhaler is located, in case he needs to run and get it. Right now, he needs to focus on calming his husband down, getting him to breathe properly. 

“Hey, now none of that,” Louis chastises, moving Harry’s hair out of the way, so he could see his face. His eyes are cast down, and he is playing with a loose string from Louis’ shirt, rolling it up into a small ball between his fingers then unraveling it, repeating the process. His breath is still coming out in short gasps. 

“You aren’t stupid, baby. It’s okay to get your hopes up. Right now, I need you to breathe. Can you do that for me?” Louis asks, placing a hand on Harry’s firm chest, feeling his heart beat erratically below his fingers. He feels Harry consciously trying to take deeper breaths, lengthening the amount of time he is taking in the air before letting it out again. His heart rate begins to slow down just a tiny bit as his breathing becomes more regular. Louis lets out a sigh of relief, glad he didn’t have to run for Harry’s inhaler for the time being. 

“I’m just—I’m starting to think we should give up. Maybe I should go back on birth control, and—and forget we ever wanted to have children.” Harry’s voice is thick with emotion, and, if possible, Louis’ heart breaks just a bit more.

“No, baby, we can’t give up,” Louis says, forcing Harry to look him in the eye, needing Harry to see how sure he was about this. 

“I don’t know what else to do, Lou. Maybe parenthood just isn’t in the cards for us. Maybe the Universe doesn’t think we should be parents,” Harry replies, dropping his gaze again voice sounding detached and defeated. 

“We can’t just give up, Haz,” Louis says stubbornly, because giving up on this is the last thing he wants to do. 

“I just-- I don’t think I can take anymore heartbreak over this. Like I don’t know how much more I can take. It’s killing me, Lou. Every single time I get a negative, I seem to get more sad. I don’t wanna be jealous of all of the people out there who are pregnant, but I am. I can’t help it. I am. I hate that they can have that but-- but we can’t. I just don’t fucking understand why? I just-- Louis, I can’t anymore.” Harry begins to fall back into hysterics, fat tears stream down his face and his breaths are coming in shorter huffs. Louis shushes him, and gently rocks them back and forth, trying to comfort his husband. 

“I know, baby. I know. I feel the same way. It’s hard, and I don’t understand either.  I think we should see a specialist. You know, we should both be tested. Make sure everything is okay,” Louis suggest, not wanting his husband to give up on this just yet. He knows how badly Harry wants to have a baby. He knows how badly he wants to start a family with Harry. 

“What if there’s something wrong with me? You probably will want to find someone who can actually give you a baby,” Harry says, still not looking into Louis’ eyes. Louis is shocked by his husband’s words.

“No. I won’t. That’s not true. Harry, I love you so much. If, for whatever reason, we find out one of us can’t have kids, then we can find another way. There are more paths to having a family, love. I want to have a family, but only with you. I love you.” Louis tells his husband, trying to make him understand and believe his words. Harry finally looks up, green eyes meeting blue.

“I love you, too. I’m sorry. I know I am acting ridiculous. There is nothing you can do about it. You’re right. I am going to make an appointment with a specialist tomorrow to run some test and discuss options.” Harry has that determined look on his face that Louis has come to love. It’s the same one he gets when his is writing or editing a document for work.

“Alright. Sounds like a plan. Let’s get you up. Wanna order some Chinese for dinner?” Louis asks gently pushing Harry off his lap then standing up. He grabs Harry’s hands to haul the taller man into a standing position as well.

“Yeah. That sounds lovely,” Harry says wiping his face and blowing his nose with a bit of toilet paper. Louis begins leaving the bathroom but hears a quiet, “Lou?”

“Yeah, love?” He asks, turning around.

“Thank you. I don’t think I tell you enough, but you’re the best husband I could have ever asked for. I love you so much. Thank you,” Harry says, wrapping his long arms around Louis’ neck and pulling him in for a sweet kiss.

“You’re welcome. I love you, too,” Louis replies, patting his husband on his pert ass and walking out the door, Harry laughing and following in his wake.

 

__________

 

“Haz, baby, I know you’re nervous, but your leg is shaking the entire car. You are driving me crazy,” Louis says, his husband looking at him while they are stopped at a red light. He immediately stops his actions and looks down sheepishly. 

“I’m sorry. I’m just anxious about this, Lou. What if they find something wrong?” Harry asks. He has probably asked Louis the same question at least a dozen times since he made the appointment three days ago, but, bless him, his husband hasn’t murdered him yet. 

“Then we will have an answer,” Louis reasons. Harry wants to strangle him and his stupid logic. 

“Or worse, what if they don’t find anything wrong?” Harry points at Louis because he believes he has made a fair point. 

“Harry.” Louis sighs then brings one hand up to wrap around Harry’s long finger, pulling it down to the center console. He tagles their fingers together when he gets there, aligning their matching tattoos. 

“I know, Lou. I’m sorry. I just-- I can’t help it.” Harry looks down at his other hand in his lap, attempting to regulate his breathing and quieten his mind. 

“Please try to relax, love. I know it’s hard, but whatever is going on, we will fix it,” Louis assures, bringing Harry’s hand up to his mouth and gently kissing his knuckles. A warm feeling settles in Harry’s stomach because he loves Louis so much. 

The rest of the car ride is spent in companionable silence, both occasionally singing along to the music. Louis parks at the doctor’s office and gets out of the car. Harry takes a few deep breaths, then does the same, entwining his fingers with Louis’ as they walk despite the heat. 

“Good morning. We-- um-- we have an 9 o’clock appointment,” Harry greets the woman behind the glass. She looks up from her paperwork and smiles. 

“Name?” She asks kindly, moving the mouse on her computer and clicking a few times. Her red scrubs stands out against her dark skin and hair. She is wearing red lipstick to match, and Harry thinks she looks lovely.

“Umm…. Harry and Louis Styles-Tomlinson,” Harry tells her, gesturing to himself then Louis. 

“Alright. Please fill out these forms and have a seat. Dr. Burns’ nurse will be with you shortly,” The receptionist instructs, handing him a clipboard with some documents. Harry smiles and accepts them, following Louis to a seat. He takes the pen and begins filling out his and Louis’ information, pausing to ask Louis questions he may not know the answer to. Once he finishes, he takes it back to the receptionist then has a seat by his husband to wait. 

“I hate this,” Harry admits, glancing around the waiting room, feeling a spark of jealousy at all of the rounded bellies in various stages of their pregnancy. He tries to tamp it down because it’s not their fault he couldn’t seem to get pregnant. 

“Me too,” Louis agrees patting Harry’s hand. His hand is cold from the typical coolness of an office waiting room, so he takes the hand between his own and begins rubbing it, the friction creating warmth. 

“I just wish this was easy for us.” Harry sighs. He feels like a broken record because he has said that so much in the past year and a half. 

“I know…” 

“Mr. and Mr. Styles-Tomlinson,” A loud female voice says, prompting both Louis and Harry to look in its direction. They stand up and make their way towards a nurse holding a folder wearing blue scrubs. She smiles warmly at them, then gestures for them to follow her. 

“Alright gentlemen, we are going to separate you. Which of you carries the gene that allows male pregnancy?” she asks, looking between the two. 

“That would be me,” Harry says raising his hand. 

“Okay. You follow me, and Louis, is it?” At Louis’ nod she continues, “Please follow Nurse Angie. She will take you to your room to begin your test.” Harry starts to panic because he doesn't want to be separated from Louis. Louis is his rock. Louis holds him together, so the idea of being separated from him during such a difficult time almost seems absurd. His unease must show on his face because the nurse places a warm hand on his shoulder and adds,  “It’s alright, sir. I promise to have your husband back with you before you know it. His test will be quick. As soon as it’s over, I will bring him to your room. How does that sound?”

“Yeah. Okay,” Harry answers hesitantly, nodding his head as if he could convince himself. Louis shoots him a reassuring smile, kissing him on the cheek before he follows the other nurse, Nurse Angie, down the corridor. Harry takes a deep breath, trying to slow his racing heart. His palms are sweaty, so he wipes them down the front of his jeans. He silently follows the nurse into a examination room equipped with an examination table and various other scientific looking objects. The whole room was sterile in the way only doctors offices’ could be with the walls painted white and various informational posters on the walls depicting the reproductive organs in both men and women. 

“Have a seat.” The nurse indicates towards the table. Harry does as asked, and sits down wincing at the crinkling sound the paper makes when it meets the leather table under him. “Okay Mr. Styles-Tomlinson…”

“It’s Harry. Please call me Harry.” Harry tells her, not liking the formalities in the office which are making everything feel too methodical.

“Harry.” The nurse smiles warmly. “My name is Piper. I am one of the nurses that assist Dr. Burns. Now, I am going to ask you a few questions. Please answer them truthfully and to the best of your ability.” Harry nods, so Piper sits down at her computer and begins clicking around the screen. Piper then proceeded to ask Harry about a dozen questions, all pertaining to his reproductive health.  _ Have you ever been pregnant?-  _ No.  _ Were you on oral contraceptives? _ \- Yes for almost 10 years.  _ How long have you been trying to get pregnant? _ \- A year and a half. 

“Alright, Harry, thank you for your honesty. I am going to go see if I can find your husband then tell Dr. Burns you are ready for her.” Piper smiles again then quickly exits the room, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts. He hates this. He hates doctors offices. He hates how sterile and uninviting they are. He also hates how cold they are despite the July sun. He has chill bumps on his skin, and he kind of feels nauseated.  

“Hey, love.” Louis’ soft raspy voice breaks Harry out of his melancholy thoughts. He looks up to see his husband coming through the door, and offers him a small smile. It isn’t much, but Louis smiles back and goes to sit in the empty chair beside him, near the examination table. 

“Where have you been?” Harry asks reaching out for Louis. Louis stands up and moves in front of Harry, hand immediately finding Harry’s and entwining their fingers. 

“They put me in a room and asked me a bunch of questions then asked me for a sample,” Louis answers putting air quotes around the final word, bringing Harry’s hand up with his own. 

Harry crooks his lips into an amused smile. “A sample? Whatever do you mean?” Harry asks letting a shit eating grin take over his features. 

Louis rolls his eyes. “Harold, you know good and well what I mean.” 

“No. I haven’t a clue,” Harry insist schooling his features into an innocent expression. 

“Fine. They put me in a room with a bunch of porn and had me wank off in a cup.” Louis’ cheeks are read with the admission, and Harry barely suppresses a laugh at his husband’s dramatics. It takes a lot to get Louis embarrassed, so when it does happen, Harry likes to savor it. 

“Was the porn at least good?” Harry asks, smiling at his husband. 

“Meh. I found some pictures on my phone that I took of you in lingerie. Used that for inspiration,” Louis says, bobbing his eyebrows up and down in a suggestive manner prompting Harry to laugh. They hear a knock on the door, bringing them both back to reality. Harry had almost forgotten where they were, and what they were here for. The churning in his gut comes back tenfold when a smiling young woman in a white lab coat steps through the doorway. 

“Good morning, Gentlemen. My name is Dr. Burns,” she introduces, extending her hand to shake both of their hands. Harry instantly likes her. She seems warm and friendly, like she won’t judge them and just wants to help. He finds that he trust her already. She sits down on the rolling stool opposite them and places her hands in her lap. “So, you are having some trouble conceiving, and there is no history of infertility in your family.” 

“That is correct. I am one of seven children myself, and Harry’s mom didn’t seem to have an issues with him or his older sister,” Louis supplies. Harry is relieved that Louis answered because he isn’t sure that his voice is working right now. 

“I see. Hmm. Well, while the tests on your sample are being ran, Harry, I am going to ask you to lay back on the examination table for me. Please lift your shirt.” Harry quickly does as he is told, Louis holding his hand to help him lay back. His jeans already sit low on his hips, so he just lifts his shirt, exposing his stomach to the cool air of the office. Louis must see the chill bumps on him because he runs his hand along the expanse of his stomach, over the tattoos, creating warmth. 

“You have some lovely tattoos, both of you,” Dr. Burns says, taking in their tattooed arms and Harry’s tattooed torso. 

“Thank you,” Harry says quietly. 

“Baby, it’s okay. Just relax,” Louis bends down to whisper in his ear. His nose is cold against his temple, but Harry can feel himself relaxing from Louis’ words alone. 

“Okay. This is an ultrasound machine. It is going to allow me to take pictures of your reproductive organs. After I get the images, you all will wait for me to finish running the tests then we will discuss the results,” Dr. Burns informs them, rolling a machine over to the table and pushing a few buttons. 

“Okay.” Louis takes Harry’s hand in his, holding it tightly. Harry is so thankful for Louis at that moment because he doesn't know if he could do this without him. He feels oddly exposed lying on an exam table with his shirt pulled up. The whole thing is very unpleasant, but it must be done. 

“This is going to be cold,” Dr. Burns tells him then squirts a glob of very cold gel on Harry’s abdomen prompting him to curse under his breath. “I know. I’m sorry.” She winces, and Harry believes that she is sorry for his discomfort. She places a wand on the gel and begins moving it around, and Harry giggles because it tickles. Dr. Burns shoots him an amused smile but doesn’t say anything. She just moves the instrument along his stomach and occasionally clicks a few buttons on the machine. Harry hates the silence and looks worriedly at his husband. 

“Alright. That’s it. I am going to go take a look at all of this. The nurse will show you to the waiting area then come and get you when I am ready.” She hands Harry some paper towels, and he quickly begins wiping the sticky substance off of his stomach. He is going to have to shower when he gets home to get it off completely. Louis helps him sit up on the table then he hops off and both men follow the doctor out of the room. 

“This way gentlemen,” Piper says motioning for them to follow her. 

“Was it bad that she didn’t say anything? I feel like it was bad,” Harry blurts out as soon as they are seated in the waiting area. Harry tries not to look around at all of the pregnant people, and he succeeds, mostly.  

“No, I don’t think it’s bad. Maybe she couldn’t say anything until she gets a chance to actually study them,” Louis reasons rubbing soothing circles on Harry’s back. 

“Stop being so logical.” Harry wants to shout at his husband because he is just not getting it. Why can’t he be freaking out like Harry? How could he possibly be so calm when they are about ready to find out the fate of their future family? 

“I’m sorry, love. One of us has to be though. Nothing we can say or do will change the outcome of this, so the best I can do is stay positive and try not to worry.”

Harry sighs because he knows Louis is right, but he can’t. He can’t just turn off his anxiety about this. He will never be able to forgive himself if they find out they can’t have kids because it’s his fault. His stupid body not doing what it is genetically supposed to do. What everyone else seems to be able to do. “I know. I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’m just really stressed about this,” Harry says finally, letting his head fall into his hands.  

“It’s okay, love. I understand. I just don’t want you to be stressed. Stressing won’t solve anything. In fact, it will probably do more harm than good when it comes to conception,” Louis responds. Harry feels Louis’ small hand wrap around his wrist, pulling his hands from his face. 

“I know. This is just hard,” Harry admits, willing his tears away, finally looking at his husband. Louis looks sad. Most people probably wouldn’t be able to tell because Louis is good at covering his emotions, but Harry isn’t most people. Louis is definitely sad, and Harry made him that way. What if they find out it is Harry, and Louis doesn't love him anymore? Why would he love someone whose body can’t do what biology intended? 

“Mr. and Mr. Styles-Tomlinson?” Harry’s head snaps up to see Nurse Piper staring at them warmly. Louis grabs his hand and pulls him to a standing position, both walking towards the open door. They walk down a hallway then turn left to a row of offices. “Dr. Burns is in the second on the left waiting for you.” 

“Thank you,” Harry says, smiling at the nice nurse. She returns his smile then leaves. They both walk slowly towards the open office. Harry feels like he is walking to the gallows, awaiting his fate. 

“Come in and have a seat.” Dr. Burns smiles and gestures for them to come through the entryway. Louis shuts the door behind them, sensing Harry may feel the need for some privacy. Harry is forever grateful. They take the chair opposite her desk, Harry doesn't drop Louis’ hand, ready for the verdict.  

“Alright. So all the tests came back normal,” Dr. Burns starts. Harry and Louis both let out an audible sigh of relief. “Louis, your sperm count and mobility are both on the normal spectrum. Harry, everything looked great in your ultrasound. I am not sure what the cause of your infertility is, but I was able to rule out all of the main issues for other people. I suspect that it may have something to do with the length of time you were on oral contraceptives. People who have taken it for a number of years seem to have a harder time conceiving afterwards. It sometimes can take a number of years following a lengthy period of using oral contraceptives for the body to clear the hormones found in most oral contraceptives. It just may be taking your body longer to regulate its system than most people unfortunately.” 

“Okay. So what do we do?” Louis asks, always one to want to get straight to the point. 

“Well, you have a few options. You can continue doing the same thing and letting nature take its course, or I could prescribe Harry some fertility medication to help jumpstart everything.” 

“What are some of the side effects of the fertility medication?” Harry finally asks, wanting to make an informed decision. 

“Nothing too outlandish. Most people report some hot flashes, slight nausea, and perhaps a bit of cramping, others have no symptoms at all. Another side effect is that it can increase the risk of multiples which means you would have a higher chance of conceiving twins or even triplets,” she warns. 

Harry looks at Louis, silently communicating their decision. When Louis nods, Harry turns back to the doctor who is watching them with an amused expression. “I think we would like to try the fertility medication.” 

“Okay. Great. I think that is a fine choice. I will send in the prescription to the pharmacy you have on file. Harry, you will take it for five days starting today. In a week and half, use an over the counter ovulation predictor kit. When it shows an LH surge, LH meaning…”

“...  luteinizing hormone. Yeah, it’s a hormone that is only produced when ovulating or pregnant,” Harry finishes for her. “We’ve been using OPK’s for a few months now.”

“Oh great, I love when people are well informed. Then as you know, when it shows an LH surge   have sexual intercourse with Louis. Take a pregnancy test after two weeks. If it is negative, give my nurse a call, and she will call in the prescription again. We can use this medication for three months, but after that, we would need to discuss other options because prolonged use can cause infertility.” 

“Okay,” Harry says, taking a deep breath because that is a lot of information to process. 

“Please don’t hesitate to call me if you have any questions. I hope this works out for you.” Dr. Burns stands and shakes both of their hands. They leave the office, both feeling a bit numb with all of the information floating around in their heads. Harry is feeling a bit frustrated. He is relieved to know there is nothing serious wrong with either of them, but it would have been nice to have an answer to the problem that has been plaguing them for over a year. 

“Well, that was good, right?” Louis asks hesitantly when they both get into the car. 

“I think?” It comes out as more of a question than a statement. Louis grabs his cheek and pulls his face into a sweet kiss. 

“I love you.” Is all he says as he starts the car. 

 

__________

 

“Louis! I’m ovulating!” Louis hears the giddy shout of his husband coming from the bathroom upstairs. Louis feels a jolt of excitement at Harry’s words and runs up the stairs two at a time. He finds Harry clutching a stick in his hand. Harry turns to face him, holding up the stick for Louis to read. The screen on the device reads a smiley face, which means it has detected an LH surge. 

Harry doesn’t even give him a chance to respond before he is on him, wrapping his long arms around Louis’ neck and capturing his lips in a heated kiss. Louis stumbles back, but regains his balance, kissing his husband back just as passionately. Ever since Harry started on the fertility medication, his sex drive has gone up even more than his normally high one. Louis feels like he wants to have sex every single day, but Louis isn’t complaining about this. It almost feels like they are in the beginning of their relationship again, discovering one another. 

“Bedroom,” Louis mummers between kisses, pulling Harry backwards towards their room, not breaking their kiss. Harry goes easily, both hands finding the hem of Louis’ t-shirt and yanking it up over his head, barely breaking their kiss. Louis is desperate to feel Harry’s skin against his own, so he quickly unbuttons Harry’s shirt. Harry makes it easy since he only has the bottom two buttons done to begin with. He pulls it off Harry’s shoulders and throws it somewhere behind Harry, landing carelessly in the hallway. His hands immediately go to the small of Harry’s back, pulling the other man impossibly closer. 

_ This is it,  _ Louis thinks.  _ This may be the day Harry conceives _ . That thought sends a jolt of desire straight to his hardening cock. Something about the idea of impregnating Harry turns Louis on. He doesn’t question it, just pulls Harry along into the bedroom, both moaning as their hard cocks press together though the fabric of their pants. When they finally get to the bedroom, Louis presses Harry against the bed until his knees buckle, and he is on his back. He wraps one firm arm around Harry’s torso, and pulls him up the bed until they are both in the middle, Harry’s legs automatically spreading to cradle Louis. 

“Love you,” Harry murmurs as Louis begins trailing hot kisses down the long column of Harry’s neck. 

“I love you, too, baby,” Louis replies, using both hands to pop the button of Harry’s jeans. He sits up on his haunches and yanks the offending fabric from Harry’s long legs, taking his underwear with it. Harry’s hard cock twitches under Louis’ gaze, so he smiles and reaches one hand out to stroke it a few times; Harry moaning at the touch. Louis then stands up and quickly removes his own jeans and underwear. Harry watches him with dark eyes as he reaches into the bedside drawer for the lube. Louis notes that they are almost out, so he needs to pick some up from the store soon, since this won’t be the last time they do this in the next two days. He also grabs Harry’s favorite butt plug, the one with the pink jewel on the end.  

“Lou,” Harry whines from the bed, but doesn't touch himself. 

“Shh. It’s okay, baby. I’m gonna open you up, then I’m gonna fuck you good. You want that?” Louis ask, sitting on the bed between Harry’s legs and squirting some lube onto his fingers. Harry nods in response, which is good enough for Louis. His dark curls are fanned out on the pillow, his cheeks blotchy and red with desire. He is lovely. 

Louis carefully takes one finger and traces around Harry’s puckered rim. They haven't had sex in a few days, anticipating this moment, so he is tighter than normal. Harry hisses out a breath when Louis pushes past the tight ring of muscle. Louis’ head snaps up, eyes landing on Harry. Harry just nods, silently telling Louis to keep going. Louis bends his torso to capture Harry's mouth in a heated kiss, moaning into it. Harry mumbles words of encouragement under his breath like  _ yes  _ and  _ please _ , prompting Louis to add a second finger. 

Louis kisses along Harry’s strong jawline, leaving little nibbles in his wake, but not enough to leave a mark. He makes his way to his favorite spot, finally leaving a bruise right below where Harry’s jawline meets his ear. He pulls back to admire the mark, satisfied with it. He hears Harry moan and feels him buck his hip up, so Louis adds a third finger, wanting to get Harry ready. 

“So tight for me,” Louis says feeling Harry squeeze around his fingers in response. Louis places his free hand on Harry’s abdomen, imagining what it may be like in a few short months for it be swollen beneath his fingers. The thought spurs him on, now feeling a desperate need in the pit of his stomach to be inside of his husband. 

“I’m ready, Lou. Please,” Harry begs, looking at Louis with glazed over eyes, his dark curls fanned out on the pillow around his head. 

“Okay, love,” Louis replies, bending down and pressing a soft kiss on Harry’s full lips before he slowly removes his fingers. Harry whimpers at the loss, but Louis quickly presses the head of his swollen cock against Harry’s rim. He watches his husband’s face for any signs of discomfort as he slowly presses past the tight ring of muscles, and sinks in inch by excruciating inch. 

“Fuck,” Louis exhales once he bottoms out, not moving wanting to give Harry plenty of time to adjust. Harry apparently doesn’t need the time though because he quickly taps on Louis’ arm, their silent signal to start moving. Louis does, slowly at first, not wanting to hurt his husband. Harry is tight and hot around him, he almost comes just from that fact alone, but He needed to get Harry off first. 

“Oh God, Louis. Right there. Please,” Harry moans out. Louis knows that he has found the angle to hit Harry’s spot, so he keeps his hips there, moving faster. Harry wraps his legs around Louis’ hips, locking his feet at the small of Louis’ back, making the angle that much deeper. Louis is getting close to his release, but he needs Harry to get there first, so he starts to ramble. 

“That feel good, baby? You love it when I’m inside of you. Gonna fill you up. Gonna fill you up with my babies,” Louis mummers into Harry’s ear, thrusting harder and deeper. Louis reaches between their sweaty torsos, grasping Harry’s leaking cock in his  hand. Harry bites back a scream at the contact. “Want my come?” 

“Yes. Please. Want it,” Harry moans, his beautiful features scrunched up as he approaches orgasm. 

“You gotta come first, love. Come for me, and I will give you what you want,” Louis whispers, and with those words, Harry’s hot come shoots all over Louis’ hand, coating both of their torsos with his release. His hole squeezes Louis like a vice, pulling the orgasm from him. His whole body tenses with his release, jet after jet of hot come shooting into Harry’s waiting body. The thought of this being the moment Harry falls pregnant makes one last spurt of come shoot from Louis’ spent cock, prompting him to moan from intensity of it all. 

“Stay right there baby,” Louis instructs when he and Harry both have had time to come down from their high. Before pulling out, Louis grabs the butt plug from its location on the bed. He carefully coats it in some lube, then slowly pulls out, replacing his soft cock with the hard silicone. 

“Thanks love,” Harry says smiling with a blitzed out expression on his face. 

“You know the drill,” Louis replies returning his smile and tapping Harry lightly on the thigh. Harry giggles and carefully positions his body so his butt is against the wall, propping his long legs up on the wall, so that his body is shaped like an L. 

Louis laughs then gets up, walking into the ensuite to grab a wet washcloth. He uses it to wipe himself off then gets another one and returns to his husband. He uses it to clean Harry’s chest and stomach of his own release, Harry giggling because he thinks it tickles. Then Louis carefully wipes around his spent cock, knowing that he had to be sensitive. Harry hisses, but smiles when Louis is finished. 

“Cuddle?” Harry asks opening his arms wide. Louis rolls his eyes and laughs, but gets down on the bed, curling up into Harry’s side. Both men are stark naked as Harry wraps one long arm around Louis’ shoulder while Louis lays his head on Harry’s chest. Louis silently places a hand on Harry’s stomach, right below his belly button, feeling the light smattering of hair there. He rubs the soft pale skin there absentmindedly, wondering if their lives have changed forever or if it was just going to be another heartbreak. As if Harry senses his thoughts, he places his hand on Louis’ intertwining their fingers in the spot below his navel sharing a silent prayer to whoever is listening. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments are always welcome!  
> Follow me on my social media for updates or just to chat xx  
> Twitter: @Wicked_Archer  
> Tumblr: wicked-archer


	2. Poppy Seed

Louis wakes up to the bed shaking as Harry quickly and violently uncovers himself, dashing into their ensuite and emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet. It is the second day in a row that Harry has been sick, and Louis is trying not to get his hopes up that it is a good sign. He knows the early symptoms of pregnancy like the back of his own hand, and nausea was definitely one of them. He carefully gets out of bed, wincing at the time on the clock. It’s 6 am; he doesn't need to be up to go to work for another hour. 

“Baby, are you alright?” Louis asks peeking into the bathroom. Harry’s head is still in the toilet bowl, but it doesn’t sound like he is vomiting anymore. Louis makes his way towards his keeling husband, taking his long curls into his hands and pulling them back so they don’t get messy. 

“Yeah. I feel a bit better now,” Harry answers pulling his head out and flushing the toilet. “Thanks for holding my hair.” 

“Maybe you should take a pregnancy test,” Louis suggest, releasing the curls and helping Harry to his feet. Harry goes to the sink and puts a large amount of toothpaste on his brush. 

“Two weeks aren’t up for another two days. I think I just have whatever stomach bug that has been going around at the office. Don’t worry,” Harry says putting the pink toothbrush in his mouth, beginning to brush his tongue first, looking at Louis through the mirror.  

Louis isn’t convinced by his husband’s explanation, but sighs, knowing he wont get Harry to agree to this right now. Harry will need to come to the decision in his own time. “Okay, but please stay home from work today and rest. This is the second day in a row that you have been sick, and I am worried about you.” 

“I will call my supervisor and tell her that I will be working from home today. Does that make you feel better?” Harry asks after spitting into the sink the running his hands under the stream of water to rinse out his mouth. 

“Yes,” Louis says standing up on his tiptoes to kiss his husband lightly on the lips. 

“Lou, I could be contagious,” Harry exclaims pulling away quickly. 

“I don’t think so,” Louis replies because he really doesn't think that Harry has a stomach virus. 

Harry sighs, looking down at Louis. “I’m-- I’m just trying not to get my hopes up again, okay? I will test in a few days, I promise,” Harry says turning wide eyes at him. 

Louis’ playful expression drops immediately at the look on his husband’s face. “Okay, love. I get it. Take your time.” Louis’ arms comes up to wrap around Harry, bringing him into a warm tight hug. He never wants to let him go. “Wanna shower with me?” Louis asks bobbing his eyebrows suggestively and winking. He has got an hour to kill and judging by the outline of Harry’s hardening cock digging into his hip, Harry may be on board. 

“Yeah, okay, but no kissing,” Harry says pointing a finger at Louis. Louis salutes him with a cheeky smile on his face prompting Harry to smack his chest right over his blocked 78 tattoo. He brings his hand back to the area, running his fingers through the smattering of hair there. Louis regretfully pulls away from the touch and turns on the shower, giving it a moment for the water to heat up. He steps under the stream, bringing Harry with him. 

Once they are both sufficiently wet, he begins to wash his husband, starting with his dark curls. Louis grabs Harry’s shampoo and begins working the gel into Harry’s hair, massaging his scalp, scratching lightly. Harry moans, preening at the touch, the sound going straight to Louis’ dick. Once he rinses out Harry’s hair, he conditions it, working the product into the ends, gently untangling the strands. After he is finished with Harry’s hair, he moves onto his body, soaping up his long pale limbs with a fragrant body wash using mostly just his hands. He washes up Harry’s inner thigh, careful not touch his hardening cock yet. 

Once he is finished, he pulls Harry under the spray to rinse him off, allowing Harry to start washing him. After his hair and body is clean, Harry takes a soapy hand and wraps his long fingers around Louis’ cock, stroking it to full hardness. He runs the fingers from his other hand under, gently cupping Louis’ balls. Louis hisses out a breath from how sensitive he feels all of the sudden, the warm water and soap making the slide easier. Harry kisses down his neck, nibbling the skin but not marking him since he will have to leave for work soon. 

“Mmm, feels good baby, don’t stop,” Louis tells him, closing his eyes and losing himself to the sensation for a moment, but Harry does stop. Louis opens his eyes in distress, but sees Harry lining up his own cock with Louis, pressing the taut skin together. Harry then wraps one soapy hand around both of their hard lengths, pulling the foreskin over their heads in tandem. It is all so much, Louis has to bite back a scream. He looks down again to see their swollen cocks in Harry’s giant hand, Harry grunting as he brings them both to the edge. Louis almost comes at the sight. 

“Fuck, Lou. I’m close,” Harry gasps out, looking down and watching as his hot come shoots out of the tip, coating both of their bodies and dicks in the sticky substance. Harry doesn’t release their cocks as he continues stroking. He must be sensitive, but he wants Louis to finish too. Louis watches for a few moments, letting the sight take him over the edge as he comes, his own release mixing with Harry's and washing down the drain. They hold each other for a few minutes under the warm spray, coming down from their orgasms. They share a shy smile as they lather themselves washing all of the evidence away, then leave the shower. 

 

__________

 

It’s been five days, and Harry still feels like shit. He has no energy and everything is making him want to puke. He sighs and stands up from the couch, his stomach feeling woozy immediately with the movement. He takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm his stomach down a bit, his mouth watering signaling him to run to the restroom. He vomits up his breakfast, breathing deeply through his nose. He is glad Louis isn’t home. He has been playing off his illness a bit, not wanting to worry his husband. 

It has been exactly two weeks since he ovulated, so he makes a decision to head to the store for some pregnancy tests, feeling sick at the thought of yet another negative stick. He flushes the toilet and washes his hands and face. He goes up stairs to brush his teeth in their bathroom; he is careful not to push the toothbrush too far into the back of his throat, his gag reflex being way more sensitive in the past few days, yet another thing he is hiding from Louis. 

The idea of lying to Louis settles like a brick in his stomach, but he pushes the feeling away, convincing himself that it is better this way. He really doesn’t want to worry his husband. Louis has been so stressed from work lately, he didn’t need Harry to add to it. They have just always had a very open and honest relationship, always talking about their likes, dislikes, and fears. This whole hiding things from his husband thing  is completely new territory and he hates it. He hates is so much, bile begins to rise in his throat. He takes a few calming breaths, willing himself not to vomit again. Once the feeling passes, he starts getting ready to head out. 

He makes his way into their shared bedroom to put on some skinny jeans and a comfy t-shirt then grabs his cell phone, wallet and keys making his way out the door. The drive to the store is quick, so he parks his car and leaves the cool ac in his vehicle for the hot summer sun. As he steps though the glass sliding doors of the establishment, he can feel his cell vibrating in the tight back pocket of his jeans. He pulls it out and immediately recognizes Louis’ ringtone, he smiles when he sees Louis’ picture lighting up his screen. 

“Hello,” Harry answers, letting his voice reflect his facial expression. 

_ Hello, love. Just wanted to check and see how you were feeling.  _

“Lou, please stop worrying. I’m okay. Like I told you, I think I just have that virus that has been going around at work.” Harry tells his husband, grabbing a hand basket and making his way towards the pharmaceutical area of the store. 

_ I can’t do that. You’re my husband. I am allowed to worry. You didn’t look that great this morning… _

“Gee, thanks,” Harry cuts him off, rolling his eyes. 

_ You know what I mean. You looked pale and still a bit sick. I think you should go to the doctor.  _

“If I’m not better by Monday, then I will go to the doctor. I promise. I’m feeling better though,” Harry lies as he looks through the selection of pregnancy test. He decides to go with the ones that use the red dye, since they are way less likely to give a false positive. He throws a box with two test into the basket and makes his way towards the lube. They are completely out and that just won't do. He quickly grabs a couple of tubes of their favorite brand and puts that in the basket as well. 

_ What are you doing? _

“Oh. I went to the store to pick up a few things,” Harry tries to go for nonchalant, but he thinks he may have missed the mark since Louis’ next question sounds suspicious. 

_ Like what?  _

Harry looks around the isle, trying to think of something to say. His eyes fall to his basket. “Lube,” he answers quickly, the word coming out loud prompting a few people to give him weird looks. “I mean, lube. We are out,” Harry says quieter this time. 

_ Oh okay. Pick up some lettuce, will you? I will make chicken salads for dinner. May be easy on your stomach, and you don’t need to be cooking.  _

Louis still sounds unconvinced, but Harry manages to hold in his sigh of relief at Louis’ words. “Yeah, ‘course, love. Thanks for volunteering to cook dinner.”

_ Anytime, but, baby, I have to go. They are calling for me. I was supposed to only take a quick break between meetings. Love you.  _

“I love you, too. See you when you get home,” Harry says into the phone, tapping the call end button on the touchscreen effectively ending the connection. He sighs again and heads over to the grocery section, picking up a few things he knows they need around the house including the ingredients for chicken salad. 

Once he returns home, he practically runs up the stairs, box of pregnancy test in hand. His hands are shaking from nerves, almost not wanting to know the answer. He rips the box opens and pulls out a long thin foil wrapped package and a piece of paper. He quickly unfolds the paper, then reads the directions written on it even though he has them practically memorized from how many instances he has done the same thing. He studies the pictures one last time before he pulls open the corner off the package then carefully removes the test. 

“One pink line means it is negative and two means positive.” He reads out loud, making sure he understands completely before continuing. 

He does as the directions say and pees on the stick, deliberately putting the cap back on and placing the device on the even surface of the sink. He watches the pee make it’s way up the stick, the bright pink control line already appearing. He grabs his phone and sets a timer for three minutes, then goes to sit on his bed to wait, rocking back and forth needing something to do with the excess energy. He feels as though he may throw up again just from nerves. 

He scrolls through social media on his phone, desperately trying to take his mind off the ticking timer and the test just in the other room. He glances up at it, staring longingly for a moment before he looks back at his phone, mindlessly scrolling, but not really comprehending anything. What if it’s negative again? Then what? Would they try the treatment again? Will Louis want to give up this time? Neither of them are getting any younger, and Louis is older than him by two years. He wouldn’t blame Louis if he didn’t want to try anymore. It was as much his decision as it was Harry’s after all. He feels sick just thinking about it. He rubs his tummy, trying to calm it and his nervous down. He wonders briefly if there is possibly a little life growing in there, but pushes the thought away, not wanting to get his hopes up yet again. 

When the timer goes off, it startles him. He dismisses it and slowly gets up from the bed, taking a few deep breaths before going into the bathroom, flicking the light on again. He slowly walks up to the test laying on the counter as if it is a wild animal, and he doesn't want to scare it away. He blinks back a few tears and takes a deep breath, looking down and grabbing the stick at the same time. His breath leaves his body at what he reads. He almost can’t believe it. He has been dreaming of this very moment for a year and half. He wipes the tears from his eyes and looks again, wanting to make sure he isn’t just seeing things. 

He still can’t quite believe it, so he drinks a bottle of water and pees on the second test in the box thirty minutes later. He puts the cap on it and lays it beside the already used test, the results dried into place now. He paces his room with long strides as he waits for his three minute timer to go off. Once it does, he dashes into the bathroom, quickly looking at the test. With shaking hands he holds up both tests, two bright pink lines displayed on each window, making for two positive test. He collapses on the floor, crying tears of joy this time. 

 

__________

 

“Baby, I’m home!” Louis calls walking through the front door and toeing off his shoes. He hears rustling around in the kitchen, so he makes his way towards that room. He finds his husband by the stove, making Louis’ normal cup of after work tea. He smiles at the familiarity, happy to see that Harry seems to be feeling better. Harry looks up at him and smiles brightly, dimples popping. Louis missed his smile. Harry has been feeling so sick lately, he was starting to worry. 

“You seem to be feeling better,” Louis observes walking in a kissing Harry on the cheek as he pours piping hot water into two mugs with tea bags already laid within. 

“Yeah. I am,” Harry replies, handing Louis his tea, then adding some honey to his own. Louis doesn’t recognize the mug, so Harry must have purchased it recently. He uses the string attached to the tea bag to stir the contents, not really paying attention to his actions. 

“Good. I was starting to worry about you.” Louis squints at his husband for a few moments because something seems.. different. For some reason he doesn't completely believe that Harry has made a full recovery. He still seems paler than normal, and his eyes look tired. Harry is a terrible liar, so Louis shrugs it off knowing that his husband would eventually come clean. 

“No need.” Harry waves him off then gestures towards the kitchen table for Louis to sit down. The sit in companionable silence for a moment, letting their tea steep. They both remove their bags at the same time, laying them on a napkin. Louis is pleased that his is a dark brown, perfect. “So how was your day? I know you said on the phone earlier that you had been in meetings,” Harry asks breaking the comfortable silence. He purses his lips to blow on his tea. Louis is mesmerized for a second by the action, wanting to kiss Harry’s full lips. He snaps out of it when Harry smiles at him knowingly. 

“Long,” Louis answers with a sigh. Harry made a ‘mmhmm’ noise as if to say ‘go on’. “I’m just really struggling with this project for some reason. I know my boss will promote me to the Creative Director in the agency if I do this well, I just don't know. The client is being really picky about the branding.”

“I know it's hard, love, but try not to worry. You're a creative genius. I'm sure you'll figure something out that will not only please your client but your boss,” Harry says finally taking a sip of his tea wincing when it burns his tongue a little. 

“Yeah. It's just important, you know? It would be a lot more money.” Louis sighs taking another large gulp of his piping hot tea. It's about half way gone already. Harry always told him he didn't understand his ability to drink scalding hot beverages so quickly. Louis thinks it's a trait he learned in college. 

“I understand, but I know you'll get it. You're the smartest person I know.” Harry lays one large warm palm on Louis shoulder and leans to to kiss him on the check, leaving a slight moist spot. Louis lets it dry, wanting the invisible reminder. 

“Thanks, baby. I know you're right. I'll figure it out,” Louis replies drinking down the remaining contents of his cup. As he is finishing it, he sees something written at the bottom. He pulls the now empty cup away from his mouth to get a better look. His eyes fill with tears. 

‘You're gonna be a daddy’ is scripted in bold black letters on the inside bottom of the cup, surrounded by a blue and a pink heart. 

He looks at Harry in shock. Harry is nodding his head, tears already streaming down his face. Louis looks back at the cup, not quite able to believe the words scripted at the bottom. “Is this real? A-are you sure?” 

Harry nods again, releasing a small sob as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out two sticks. He carefully lays them on the table in front of Louis, the sticks making a tapping sound in the otherwise quiet room. Louis looks down and picks one up with shaking hands. It's a pregnancy test with two bright pink lines displayed in the window. He burst into tears. He's going to be a father. 

A feeling that can only be described as elation burst through Louis’ chest filling it up to the point that he feels as if it may crack open and his happiness will spill out onto every available surface of the kitchen. “Oh my God! Harry! I can’t believe this!” Louis exclaims, standing up and knocking the chair down in the process. He doesn't even register the loud bang it makes as he pulls his husband to his feet. 

“I know! That’s why I took two test. I had to be sure,” Harry replies looking at Louis with more happy tears. 

“I love you, baby. We’re going to have a baby!” Louis wipes his own tears away and lays one small hand on Harry’s flat stomach, right below his navel where their child is growing. It is still so hard to believe. He grabs his husband’s face then and brings him down for a gentle kiss. His lips taste of salt from his tears, but it’s perfect, the whole thing is perfect. 

“We’re going to have a baby, Lou,” Harry confirms, nodding his head and smiling, kissing Louis once more. “We have an appointment tomorrow with Dr. Burns to confirm everything. They said that since I got two positive test, that is pretty much confirmation enough because it is hard to get a false positive and even more difficult to get two in a row. At this point it would just be a formality,” Harry rambles, but Louis doesn’t care. He is still looking at the test sat on the counter, not really believing them. 

“Fuck, Harry. I can’t believe it,” Louis says again. He knows he is sounding like a broken record at this point, but he just can’t help it. After a year and half of trying, he was seriously starting to believe that it would never happen for them. 

“I know. I can’t either. I keep having to remind myself that it is true. It’s happening. There is a little life growing in me that is half me and half you,” Harry replies, pulling up his shirt and looking down at his tummy, eyes wide with how unbelievable it truly is. He rubs his hand across it, and Louis puts his own hand on top of Harry’s stilling the motion. Harry’s skin is warm under his fingers, the skin on his belly extra soft. Louis looks down for a moment and traces the laurel tattoos placed on his hips, imaging what they will look like in a few months as Harry got bigger. He traces the bottom of the butterfly, just barely showing under Harry’s pulled up shirt. Finally his hand comes to rest on Harry’s, warm and sure on his lower abdomen. He looks into Harry’s eyes which are brimmed with unshed tears and starts crying, because he believes it. He is going to be a father. 

 

___________

 

Harry wakes up the next morning like he has woken up the last five mornings, sick and running to the the bathroom. Thank God they have an ensuite, so he didn’t have far to go. Before he is finished vomiting up the contents of his stomach, he feels sure hands pulling his hair back, holding his dark curls at the base of his skull. He glances over and sees bare feet, almost covered by his too long for him pajama bottoms. Harry would smile at the sight if he wasn’t busy being sick at the very moment. 

“You alright, love?” He hears Louis behind him. He can even make out the grimace in his voice as he flushes the toilet. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Harry replies, finally looking up at his husband. Louis’ brows are drawn in worry. 

“We are going to talk to the doctor about this today. You haven’t been able to really keep anything besides tea and water down for days now love, that can’t be healthy for you or the baby.” Louis holds both hands out. Harry takes them and allows Louis to hoist him from the floor. He immediately goes to the sink and begins brushing his teeth wanting to get the taste of sick out of his mouth quickly before it makes him vomit again. He watches as Louis does the same, brushings his teeth beside his husband. 

“Okay,” Harry says around the brush, then spits into the sink rinsing his mouth. “It’s just a symptom of pregnancy though. It’s my body adjusting to the hormones it’s producing for a healthy baby.” 

“You read too much.” Louis rolls his eyes in the mirror. Harry suddenly wants to cry at his husband’s hurtful comment. 

“Well excuse me for wanting to be prepared.” Harry rushes out of the bathroom, letting the tears stream down his face. He lays down on the bed and cries into his arm. Fuck. He doesn't know why he is crying. Louis’ comment just hurt. 

“Oh baby, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I was only joking.” He hears Louis say then feels the bed dip down as Louis gets on it. Small hands begin gently rubbing his back in soothing circular motions. 

“I know. It just-- it hurt Lou,” Harry mumbles into his hands, tears already drying. Jesus, he feels like a mess. He suddenly isn’t that mad at Louis or even upset anymore. 

“I’m sorry. Please know it was a joke,” Louis replies pulling at Harry’s arm. Harry looks at him, earnest blue eyes staring back. 

“I’m sorry, too. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. Well I know, it’s the hormones, but I didn’t know it would be this bad or this quick.” Harry sits up on the bed and grabs Louis, holding him close into a hug. Louis responds quickly, leaning into it and wrapping his arms around him. Louis smells so good. It’s intoxicating. His cock instantly gets hard just by the smell of Louis. 

“It’s okay, love. I will try to be conscious of my jokes from now on,” Louis says oblivious to Harry’s current state. 

“Lou,” Harry whines into his ear, hoping for the other man to get the hint. Louis pulls back and looks at him curiously, not fully comprehending what Harry wants. Harry is getting frustrated now, so he takes Louis’ hand and places it on the bulge of his underwear. 

“Oh!” Louis’ eyes are wide with the realization, and he quickly begins moving his hand, stroking Harry through the material. Harry moans in response because fucking finally Louis gets it. 

“Want you,” Harry mumbles diving towards Louis’ lips, trapping them in a heated kiss. He doesn't even wait for Louis’ to allow him entrance, he just takes it, hungrily licking into Louis’ mouth moaning at the taste of Louis’ toothpaste. 

“How do you want me,” Louis asks in between kisses. 

“All over me. In me,” Harry answers pushing Louis, so he is laying on his back. Harry is in the mood to take control today, so he straddles Louis’ hips and begins kissing down his neck. Both men are already shirtless, having just woken up, so he is thankful to have one less item of clothing to remove from Louis. He just wants him inside already. He licks over the script of Louis’ collarbone tattoo, remembering fondly the day he got it. It was the same day Harry had gotten his butterfly tattoo. If someone had told him that he would someday have complimentary tattoos with his spouse, he would have told them that they were crazy, but here they are with so many matching tattoos it is ridiculous really. 

He can feel Louis’ cock begin to harden against his own as he grinds his hips on it, rutting their hard lengths together both moaning at the sensation. Harry doesn't want the clothes between them, so he quickly hops off Louis’ hips and yanks both his underwear and pajama bottoms off in one swift motion. He watches with wide eyes as Louis’ hard cock springs free, licking his lips at the very idea of it being inside him soon. 

“First, I wanna taste you,” Harry mummers feeling like he is in a daze. He kneels between Louis’ legs and takes the head of his cock into his mouth, tasting the salt of his precome immedeatly. He moans around it. He can feel Louis’ hips twitching beneath him, probably wanting to thrust up. Harry flattens his tongue and begins bobbing his head, listening to the sounds his husband is making allowing them to spur him on. 

“Baby, flip over here, so I can open you up,” Louis moans out, so Harry does as asked. He moves his back end around, so it is facing Louis, not releasing Louis’ hard length from his mouth. He feels Louis’ slicked up finger tracing his hole before one finger easily goes in. Harry tries to relax around it, wanting this to go quickly, so Louis could be inside him already. He is getting desperate for it. 

“Fuck. You suck my dick so well.” He hears Louis’ soft raspy voice behind him high with desire. Harry just nods, not wanting to take his mouth off Louis for a second. He pushes his hips back, getting Louis’s finger in deeper, moaning when he feels Louis adding another one, stretching him open. 

“You’re gonna make me come like this,” Louis says, scissoring his fingers, stretching Harry open even more. The burn hurts, but also feels so fucking good Harry could cry. He doesn't know if has ever been this turned on his life. His cock feels like it is going to explode, and he hasn’t even been touched. He starts palming Louis’ balls, rolling them around while continuously sucking his cock, getting it wet. His own spit trailing down the shaft, allowing his hand to spread the moisture around on the area. Harry goes deeper, the head touching the back of his throat, his nose nestled against Louis’ balls, breathing in his scent. Fuck. He smells so good. 

He feels it when Louis finally adds a third finger, splitting him open in the best possible way. “Fuck, I’m ready. Please, Lou,” Harry moans, popping off Louis’ cock but keeping it in his hand. He looks back at Louis with wide eyes, trying to convey his desperation. 

“Oh-- okay, Baby. If you’re sure,” Louis says removing his fingers and wiping them on the sheets. 

“Yeah. Need you in me right now,” Harry replies, quickly turning around and removing his underwear the rest of the way. He straddles Louis’ hips in one swift movement. Louis nods and holds his cock up, allowing Harry to sink down on it slowly, both moaning at the sensation. It’s a tight fit, and it burns from the rushed foreplay, but Harry won’t complain because it feels so fucking good. Louis’ hands come up to rest on his hips, gripping tightly probably wanting Harry to move, so he does. His movements are small at first, building up a steady rhythm, trying to avoid his own prostate.  

“You ride my dick so well, love. I love it,” Louis says looking into Harry’s eyes. Harry nods and begins a more fluid movement, grinding his hips down, Louis’ fingers gripping in and helping him move and keep a good pace. Harry doesn't go fast yet, not wanting either of them to come so soon. 

“Feels so good, Lou. Love it when you’re inside me. Fill me up so good,” Harry moans, finally quickening his pace, switching to an up and down motion, taking Louis deep then pulling off. He places both hands on either side of Louis’ head and begins riding Louis hard and fast. His hard full cock bouncing on Louis’ stomach with the motion of his hips. 

“Fuck. Oh my god, Harry. Fuck. You feel so good. So tight.” 

“Lou,” Harry whines, suddenly feeling tired, his arms give out as he collapses on his husband. Harry kisses him hungrily, and Louis understands what Harry wants right away. He gets more on his knees, so Louis is just barely in him. Louis hands come around him, firmly gripping his ass and his hips, then he feels Louis position himself so the balls of his feet are firmly on the bed. He begins pistoning his hips up and into Harry’s waiting body. Harry moans in response, Louis hitting his spot with every thrust. 

“Gonna come Baby? Gonna come untouched?” Harry nods in response, not able to form words at the moment. He mouths Louis collarbone, needing something to do as pleasure rushes through his entire body, making his limbs tingle. Louis continues his punishing pace, grunting with exertion. Harry knows Louis is waiting for him to come, always insisting that Harry is the first to reach his orgasm. Harry is so fucking close. 

“God. Feels so good. Got my baby inside you. Fuck, Harry,” Louis moans pistoning his hips impossibly fast. Harry screams his name as come shoots out of his cock, coating them both in his release. His body feels like it’s on fire, limbs tingling as he comes. He hears Louis grunt in his ear, then feels his cock pulse inside him with his own orgasm. Harry stays on top of him for a moment, allowing them both time to come down from their highs and just enjoying the skin on skin contact. 

“Fuck,” Harry says finally, looking at his husband. 

“Fuck indeed,” Louis laughs, tenderly tucking a loose strand of hair behind Harry’s ear. 

“I think we both need a shower before we go to this appointment. We smell like sex,” Harry replies wrinkling his nose. His stomach churns. “I know this will ruin the moment, but I gotta go.” Harry jumps up and runs to the bathroom, vomiting for the second time that morning. He hears Louis follow him inside and holds back his hair, patting his bare back. Once Harry is finished brushing his teeth, Louis silently turns on the shower. 

 

__________

 

“Haz, I know you’re excited, but you’re driving me crazy,” Louis says looking pointedly at Harry’s shaking leg. They are stopped at a red light on the way to their appointment to confirm Harry’s pregnancy. Harry stills his movement and smiles at him shyly. He is glad Harry is feeling better since his second round of nausea this morning. He was even able to eat some toast and drink some tea before they left. 

“Sorry. I am excited though. Like I know it’s real, but this makes it really real,” Harry rambles in his adorable way, smiling so wide both dimples pop. 

“I know, love. I’m excited, too,” Louis tells him, grabbing his hand and kissing his ringed fingers as the light turns green, and he presses on the the accelerator. 

“Lou, what if the tests were wrong, and I’m not pregnant?” Harry questions suddenly. Louis glances over to find Harry’s expression panicked and doubtful. Louis was expecting this, but that doesn't mean it hurts less to see. 

“You said yourself that the likelihood of getting two false positives is almost impossible. Pregnancy tests look for a hormone that only pregnant people produce. That’s why it’s possible to get a false negative, but almost impossible to get a false positive, especially two times in a row,” Louis reasons. At Harry’s startled expression, he laughs and adds, “What? I read, too.” 

“I know. I’m just--” Harry beams as his sentence trails off. 

“Plus you’ve been nauseous and tired, which are both early signs of pregnancy.” 

“I know.” Harry sighs. Louis chances a glance at his husband whose gaze is focused on his hands, playing with the rings there, a sure sign he is nervous. “It’s just hard to believe because we’ve been trying for so long.” 

“I understand, love, trust me I do, but it’s happening.” Louis smiles at him, grabbing his hand in his own. Harry returns his smile as Louis expertly manuvors their car into a parking space. They share one last look before they open their respective doors to exit the vehicle. They hold hands as they make their way inside, the contrast to their feelings going in this time to last time is staggering. Before, they were full of anxiousness, foreboding, and helplessness, whereas now they feel hopeful, excited, and joyful. 

“Appointment for Louis and Harry Styles-Tomlinson,” Louis says to the same receptionist from a little over a month ago. She nods and types something into her computer. 

“Okay. You two can have a seat. The nurse will call you shortly.” She smiles at the pair, dark purple lipstick making her teeth look even whiter. Louis and Harry both nod in thanks and walk over to some empty chairs. Louis’ eyes travel the seating area, looking at all of the people with their rounded stomachs. He glances over his husband, imagaining what he will look like with bump of his own in a few months. Harry absentmindedly rubs in abdomen, seeming to be imagaining the same exact thing. They catch each other's eye and share a private smile. Louis brings his own hand up to rest over Harry’s enjoying the warm touch in the cool waiting area. 

“Mr. and Mr. Styles-Tomlinson.” A female’s voice snaps them out of their private moment. Nurse Angie smiles at them as they both get up and, still holding hands, make their way towards her. “Nice to see you again,” she greets holding the door open allowing them to enter first. 

“Great seeing you, too,” Harry replies politely, both men stepping to the side of the corridor to let her take the lead. 

“Alright. Harry. Go into this bathroom right here and pee in this cup. Leave it in the designated area. I will pick up the sample once you are done. Then you can go and meet your husband in that room right there,” Angie says pointing to the room down the hall and to the right. 

“Okay,” Harry nods taking the cup and disappearing into the bathroom. Louis makes his way into their assigned room, sitting down in the open chair to the side, knowing Harry would have to be the one sitting on the exam table. Harry comes in a few minutes later and smiles. They hear a knock on the door and Nurse Piper enters. She smiles at them and talks as she takes Harry’s vitals then leaves telling them that the doctor would be in to speak with them very soon. Louis tries to tamp down his nerves, letting doubt take over for a few moments. 

“Getting nervous, too,” Harry asks, deep voice breaking the tension that has settled into the room since Piper’s departure. 

“No,” Louis lies, not wanting to make his husband even more anxious. 

“Come off it, Lou. I know you. I know you’re nervous.” 

“Okay, maybe I’m a tiny bit nervous,” Louis says, holding up his thumb and index finger to show how little it actually is. Harry smiles and rolls his eyes then they hear a knock on the door. Louis holds his breath as Dr. Burns walks into the room, smiling at them. 

“How are you all today?” She asks, sitting down on the rolling stool, folding her hands over the folder resting in her lap. 

“Fine. You?” Harry replies giving her a tight smile. 

“I’m good. I am just going to cut right to the point. Congratulations, both of you, Harry is pregnant,” she says bright smile taking over her youthful features. Louis glances over at his husband, smiling widely himself. Harry’s eyes are shiny with tears as he wipes them away, sniffling, but the grin on his face is so bright, it lights up the whole office. 

“Thank you. God. Thank you so much,” Louis says, laughing because he doesn't know what else to do at the moment. He is just so fucking happy he could burst. 

“Don’t thank me. It was all you and maybe just a little help from the fertility drugs. By my calculations, your due date is April 9th. Now Harry, have you been taking prenatal vitamins and folic acid?” At Harry’s nod she continues, “Good. Here are a few packets of information for you two to look through. You are about four weeks along, based on the first day of your last cycle.”

“Thank you,” Harry says as Louis takes the folder of information. 

“Do you have any questions for me?” She asks, looking between the two expectantly. 

“Harry’s been sick a lot lately. Barely able to keep anything down besides liquids. Is there anything he can take for that?” Louis asks. 

“Yes. I will send the prescription into your pharmacy. Unfortunately it won't take the symptom away completely, but it will certainly lesson the severity. Hopefully it will help. You need to eat to keep your strength up,” She says, and Louis nods in agreeance. “Also try eating some grated apple first if the nausea isn't too severe.”

“You will also start to experience other symptoms like an increased or decreased sex drive, sore breasts and nipples, mood swings, possible headaches, aversion to some smells, fatigue, sweating and the list goes on. It is all highlighted in the packet of information I gave you.” Dr. Burns gestures to Louis’ hand. 

“I don’t think we have any questions for now, but I am sure some will come up,” Harry says. 

“Okay. Well if they do, don’t hesitate to call me. I have scheduled your first ultrasound when you will be right around eight weeks. We will get to see a peek of your baby and hear its heartbeat. If nothing comes up between now and then, I will see you in about four weeks.” She nods and smiles. Louis’ heart skips a beat at being able to see their baby and hear its heartbeat. 

“Thank you,” Louis and Harry say simultaneously, smiling at one another. 

“You’re welcome. I usually don’t follow people to term and delivery, but I really like you two. I would like to keep you as my patient and be your doctor for this. Will that be okay?” 

“Yes,” they quickly reply in tandem, both really liking her. 

“Good. Start thinking of birth plans in the meantime. We won’t be discussing it for a while, but it is nice to get the the idea started.” She smiles at them then waves them goodbye. They both sit for a moment, soaking up the silence which is heavy with information. Finally, Louis stands prompting Harry to hop off the exam table. Hand-in-hand they make their way to the front of the office, being handed a little card with their next appointment time on it. Harry and Louis share a smile, excited for what’s to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments are always welcome!  
> Follow me on my social media for updates or just to chat xx  
> Twitter: @Wicked_Archer  
> Tumblr: wicked-archer


	3. Apple Seed

“Baby,” Louis whines, “do we really need all of these?” He asks as Harry adds yet another baby book to the growing pile in Louis’ arms. 

“Yes, Lou, we do,” Harry answers with an exasperated sigh, green eyes continuing to scan the titles. Harry has picked up every single book he has found on male pregnancy. Louis knew this was coming; his husband is an avid reader after all. He was just hoping that Harry wouldn't drag him along. Louis hates reading and doesn't understand why anyone in their right mind would want to read a book instead of going outside and being active. Luck is not on his side today, so it seems, since Harry woke him up early on a Saturday, no less, to drag him to a bookstore. He hasn’t even had caffeine yet, for God’s sake. 

“Fine, but can we please get some coffee soon?” Louis asks watching as his husband picks up a book to study the back then places it back on the shelf. 

“Lou, you know I’m not allowed to have caffeine anymore.” 

“I know, but I’m not the one that’s pregnant,” Louis says and immediately regrets his words at the look Harry gives him. His green eyes snap to Louis, squinting in a way that could only mean he is planning Louis’ death. 

“You got me pregnant, and I hardly think it’s fair that you will be allowed to eat and drink all of this stuff that I am not when we are supposed to be going through this  _ together _ .” Harry’s voice is calm, which is almost worse than angry. It is like he is daring Louis to disagree with him, but Louis wants to.

“Hazza, you can’t expect me to give up caffeine. I get where you’re coming from, love, but I just can’t give up caffeine in my line of work. That’s just absurd,” Louis starts, but when Harry continues to glare and crosses his arms over his chest, he decides to take a different approach. “How about this? I will give up all the food that you have to give up, including sushi, and I will  _ cut back  _ on my caffeine and alcohol consumption. How about that? Will that work?”

Harry looks to be considering the proposition for a moment, looking at Louis as if it will help him make a decision. “Fine. Deal. I just want you to try, that’s all I ask,” Harry finally replies. 

“I will try, love,” Louis says, turning to the side, so he can kiss Harry on the cheek and not knock him over with all of the books in his hands. 

“Alright, I guess these are enough books for now. We can check out then head to Starbucks. Maybe I will try eating something this morning; I’m not feeling too sick since I started the anti-nausea medicine.” Harry gestures towards the front of the store, and Louis just barely suppresses a sigh of relief. 

“Glad to hear that.” Louis smiles and makes his way to the checkout counter behind Harry who is just glowing. Louis accepts the very heavy bag from the cashier after Harry pays, using the money from their joint bank account. Louis has Harry wait outside of the store while he takes their heavy bag to the car, not wanting to carry it around the rest of their shopping trip. Once he returns, they walk down the block to the Starbucks. 

“Don’t forget. I invited Liam and Sophia over for dinner. I told them they could bring Jameson,” Harry says, linking arms with Louis as they walk.

“Oh yeah. Glad you said something, I would have forgotten. I’m looking forward to it. Haven’t seen Liam in what feels like forever. I bet Jameson has gotten so big.” 

“Yeah. He’s ten months old now. Liam told me he is almost walking. Isn’t that amazing, Lou? I can’t wait to teach our baby all sorts of things.” One of Harry’s hands come to rest on his flat stomach, and he gets that far away wistful look on his face. Louis just smiles and guides him into the line. 

“Yeah. Amazing,” Louis agrees quickly swiping his hand over Harry’s. They share a private smile right before they order. 

“So,” Harry starts, sipping his purple tea. Louis takes the lid off his black coffee to add a single packet of sugar, almost moaning at the aroma from the cup drifting into his nose. 

“Thinking about what, love?” Louis ask, blowing for a moment on the hot liquid then taking a drink, wincing when it burns his throat a bit. He barely suppresses the urge to tease Harry about his choice in food and drink, but knows better of it since Harry has been so sensitive lately. 

“Well, I don’t think we should tell people about, you know, about the baby until I am past the first trimester,” Harry says quickly, which is saying something since Harry’s normal speech pattern is slow and lazy. 

“Why’s that?” Louis asks because he is genuinely curious. He didn’t think Harry would want to keep such amazing news from his or Louis’ family, especially not his mom. 

“The same reason we didn’t tell anyone when we decided to start trying.” Harry shrugs, taking a bite of his breakfast sandwich. “If something happens, I can’t deal with the questions or the looks of pity. We are safer from miscarriages after the first trimester” 

“Okay. Yeah. I understand. I agree,” Louis says seeing where Harry was coming from on that. They decided not to tell anyone they were trying incase, for some reason, they couldn’t have kids. Neither of them wanted to deal with the questions, looks of pity, or the constant reminder that they couldn’t have a baby. 

“Good. I figured you would. After week 12 though, I think we should have, like, an announcement party or something. You know do it in a creative way, then post something on social media. It could be fun.”

“Yeah. I suppose so. Gives us time to really think about it. You’re only like five weeks now, we have a while to go.” 

“I know, but you will be surprised on how this will feel like it flies by,” Harry says, and Louis nods along thinking about how fast the last week had flown by. It felt like they were in the doctor's office just yesterday with Dr. Burns confirming Harry’s pregnancy.

“That’s true,” Louis agrees, lost in thought. 

“I had another thing I wanted to ask you,” Harry says, avoiding Louis’ gaze as if he is afraid of the answer.  

“Okay?” Louis replies doing his best to be patient with his husband. He hates when Harry does this. He just wants him to get to the point already. 

“Umm… do you wanna, like, know the sex of the baby?” Harry finally asks, fiddling with his rings. 

Louis considers his question for a moment. He hadn’t really allowed himself to think about it, honestly. He didn’t want to get his hopes up about having a baby if it would never happen, so in a lot of ways he never even allowed himself even think about these things. “Yes. I think I would like to know. I think it would allow us to be more prepared, you know? Like with names and clothes and stuff. Wouldn’t you agree?” 

“Yes,” Harry says, letting out an audible sigh that makes Louis chuckle. He finally looks into Louis’ eyes. “I am so happy you agree.” 

 

__________

Harry is cooking in the kitchen, dancing and singing along to the music floating through the room via the Bluetooth speaker connected to his phone when he smells something. He smells it over the aroma of the meal, and it immediately makes his stomach rebel. 

“Hazza, do you need any help with dinner?” Louis asks, walking into the room wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a t-shirt. His soft brown hair is wet from his recent shower. 

“I’ve gotta go,” Harry says taking a deep breath and running, willing himself not to puke before he gets to the downstairs bathroom. He makes it, thankfully, and empties his lunch into the toilet. 

“Fuck. I thought it was getting better since you started taking that medicine.” He hears Louis voice behind him then feels his hands in his hair, like always. 

“It was, but I smelled something,” Harry replies head still in the toilet. His eyes are closed and watering because he really doesn't want to see anything.

“What did you smell?”

“I don’t know,” Harry answers, flushing the toilet and looking up at his husband. There it is. That smell again. He thinks he is going to be sick. “You.” 

“What?” Louis looks confused and slightly hurt, but Harry doesn't really care at the moment because something his husband used to wash himself is making Harry want to vomit again.

“You. I think-- I think it’s your…” Harry pauses and sniffs the air, immediately turning back to the toilet. “I think it’s your shampoo. Please, go and wash your hair in something else,” he gets out before he heaves again.  

“Are-- Are you sure? You don’t need me to stay with you?” Louis asks. Harry can hear that he is torn about the situation from the tone of his voice. 

“Fucking go, Louis. I’ll be fine. I just need you to wash your hair,” Harry replies, waving his husband away. He hears and smells when he leave. Harry flushes the toilet and lets out a sigh of relief when the smell no longer makes him want to hurl. He slowly gets to his shaking legs, suddenly wishing Louis was there to help him up, and makes his way to the sink where he splashes some cold water on his face and rinses out his mouth. He will brush his teeth before Liam and Sophia come. 

He goes back into the kitchen and resumes cooking, pleased he is almost done with the meal. He glances at the clock, perfect timing. They are supposed to be here in 15 minutes. He looks up to see Louis very slowly making his way into the kitchen, as if he doesn't want to do something wrong. “Better?” Louis asks, holding his hands out to his side. 

“Much. Thank you. I’m sorry for snapping at you. I didn’t mean too. It was just the smell, Lou. I don’t know…” Harry sentence trails off, and he looks down at his feet. 

“Baby, it’s okay. I am just glad you figured out what it was,” Louis comforts coming up to Harry and wrapping his arms around his middle. The smaller man looking up into Harry’s eyes. Harry, in turn, wraps his long arms around Louis’ neck, squeezing tight. His hair smells much better now, so he is just happily allowing his husband to hug him. Louis pulls back from the hug, and goes to kiss him. 

“Don’t. Still need to brush my teeth,” Harry says, averting his his face. 

“Fine,” Louis replies kissing the corner of his mouth instead. “Now, go up and change. I will finish everything up down here.” Louis smacks Harry once on the bum to get him moving. 

“Okay,” Harry replies laughing and jumping away from another assault on his lower region. Louis is smiling so wide, his eyes are wrinkling at the corners. It’s Harry’s favorite smile. “I love you,” Harry says suddenly because his heart is bursting with it. 

“I love you, too, baby. Now go. Liam and Sophia will be here any minute now.” Louis points upstairs, mock stern expression on his face. Harry laughs and climbs up the stairs. The first thing he does is brush his teeth then he changes to jeans and a t-shirt. Nothing too fancy. He has known Liam since college. They were randomly put together in a room their freshman year and became quick friends. He couldn’t imagine his life without Liam now. Liam was there when he met Louis and he was his best man at their wedding. 

When he returns down stairs, he smiles hearing Liam’s familiar voice floating throughout their house. “Hey man, it’s good to see you,” Liam greets as soon as he gets sight of Harry. He comes over and wraps Harry in a warm hug, the taller man bending down to hug back. Liam isn’t as short as Louis, but he is still shorter than Harry. 

“Good to see you too.” Harry smiles. 

“Ya alright?” Liam ask, eyes scanning over Harry’s face and body, like he is studying him. 

Harry panics for a moment, but then decides to play it cool. Liam couldn’t know just by looking at him, could he? “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“He had a bit of a stomach bug last week. He’s still in recovery from that.” He hears Louis’ soft raspy voice from somewhere behind Liam. Liam turns around, giving Harry the perfect view of his husband with Jameson is his arms. Harry can’t help the fond look that takes over his features, finally allowing himself to imagine what Louis will look like holding their child in the same way. 

“Oh. Well I’m glad you’re feeling better. I heard that stomach bug was nasty,” Liam says clapping Harry on the shoulder. Harry is so grateful for his husband and his ability to lie because Harry is absolutely shit at it. 

“Me too,” Louis replies smiling at Harry. “Who wants drinks?” 

“Beer for me,” Liam says at the same time Sophia says “Wine” 

“Just a water for me, Lou.” Harry smiles and Louis nods knowingly. 

“Why not wine? You love wine…” Sophia asks from her place on the sofa, her dark brows creased in confusion. 

“Oh um…” Harry trails off, not sure what to say because it really isn’t like him to not drink wine with dinner. 

“His stomach is still a bit upset from that bug he had. He is trying to go easy on it tonight,” Louis lies, patting his own stomach as he goes into the kitchen. 

Harry lets out a sigh of relief. “Yeah. Gonna be careful tonight,” Harry agrees. Dinner goes smoothly after that. They all eat, drink, and talk, catching up one another’s lives. Afterwards they retire to the living room where they eat dessert. Jameson passes out in Louis’ arms after a while. The sight making Harry’s heart hurt because it is just so fucking adorable he could burst. 

“We had better get going,” Liam starts standing up. 

“Yeah. We really should get Jameson home.” Sophia also gets to her feet prompting both Harry and Louis to do the same, Louis doing so gently to not wake the sleeping baby. 

“I’ll take the little one,” Liam says in a whisper then Louis very carefully transfers the sleeping child to the other man. 

“You guys are so good with him. When are you going to have a little one of your own?” Sophia ask innocently. 

“Um… we haven't really discussed it. Lou has been focusing on his career, you know?” Harry stumbles out, hoping the lie is convincing enough. It’s the same one they have been using since they got married four years ago. 

“Yeah, but you aren’t getting any younger,” Liam points out. 

“Hey, I am offended Liam. I am only 30 and young Harold here is 28. We’ve got plenty of time. This isn’t the 1800s where the average lifespan of a person was 35,” Louis says rolling his eyes, but smiling to let Liam know that he really wasn’t upset. 

“Yeah. Yeah,” Liam chuckles. They all say their goodbyes, Harry gently kissing Jameson on the forehead as their friends depart. 

“Well that was fun,” Louis says, only kind of sarcastically as he begins cleaning up the living room. 

“Yeah. I hate lying to Liam.” Harry starts helping him by gathering the plates while Louis piles their used glasses in his tattooed arms. 

“I know, but it won't be too long before we can tell everyone. Another what? Like five weeks, yeah?” 

Harry nods in response. “Fuck, I’m exhausted. This whole pregnancy thing is no joke,” Harry says once they are done loading the dishwasher. 

“Alright. Let's get you to bed,” Louis laughs, grabbing Harry’s hand and pulling him along. 

 

__________

 

Louis wakes up to something hard prodding his bum. It takes him a few long moments to realize Harry is grinding his hard cock against him, their underwear acting as a barrier between them. At first he doesn't even know if Harry is conscience, but then Harry’s deep gravelly voice is whispering ‘Morning’ in his ear while kissing down his neck. Louis feels the word in his back, and it sends a jolt of electricity through the bottom of his spine and straight into his cock. So Louis is getting Horney-Harry this morning. Way better than Sick-Harry or Overly-Emotional-Harry. He feels like he has been on a rollercoaster ride with his husband over the past few weeks, never know which version he is going to get. Horney-Harry is by far his favorite, he thinks. 

“Morning, love,” Louis replies, grinding his hips back. Most people automatically assume Harry is always the bottom because he carries the pregnancy gene, but that is just absurd to Louis. He loves bottoming, too. He and Harry have always been versatile in bed, so when it comes to bottoming, they kind of share that really. 

“I had a dream,” Harry says, continuing the painstakingly slow grind of his hips. Harry fucks like he talks, slow and meticulous. Louis will never complain though. 

“Did you?” Louis asks, moaning a bit under is breath, cock getting harder and harder with Harry’s every move. 

“Yup,” Harry replies, kissing Louis’ jawline, biting just a tiny bit, but doesn’t elaborate. 

“What was it about?” Louis prompts, turning his face so he could kiss Harry, morning breath be damned. 

“It was mostly just you interacting with our child.” 

“And that turns you on?” Louis asks barely suppressing a laugh. 

“Mmhmm,” Harry responds licking into Louis’ mouth. He feels Harry’s large hand snake around his waist and land on his erection, tenting his boxer briefs. 

“Baby, please,” Louis moans out, not really knowing what he is asking for. He just needs something. 

“Okay.” Harry’s deep voice rumbles behind him, sending a shiver up his spine and making goosebumps bloom all over his body. Harry’s warmth leaves his back for a second, then he feels a large palm come up on his shoulder, pulling him so he is laying on his back. Louis goes easily, then lifts his hips when Harry goes to pull off his underwear. Once he is finally naked, he spreads his legs to accommodate Harry. He moans when Harry’s warm hard erection presses into his own, creating delicious friction. Harry aligns his chest with Louis’ and kisses him lazily for a few moments. Louis can’t stop his hips from grinding on Harry’s, needing something more. 

“Please,” Louis begs, attempting to get his husband to start doing something. All of this teasing is driving him mad. 

“Okay. I’m gonna take care of you,” Harry soothes. Louis can hear the cap pop on the lube, then feels one large finger circling his rim. Harry never takes his eyes off him as he slowly pushes past Louis’ ring of muscles to get down to his first knuckle. Louis hisses out a breath because it has been a while since he has really bottomed. Harry stills his movements, allowing him to adjust to the burn and stretch. Louis nods once, a silent signal to tell Harry to keep going. 

Harry silently and efficiently begins opening him up. Slowly fucking a single finger into Louis until he is moaning then adding a second one, scissoring them when Louis let out a desperate groan, cock spurting precome. “Harry, please,” Louis whimpers, arching his back up. 

“No, love. You’re not ready, yet, don’t wanna hurt you,” Harry replies kissing Louis jaw then tenderly kissing his lips. Louis feels it when Harry adds a third long finger, prompting Louis to cry out with the stretch.  

“‘M ready. Fuck me, please, Harry. I need it. I need you to fuck me,” Louis begs after a few moments with Harry’s three fingers deep in him, carefully avoiding his prostate, driving him mad with desire. 

“Okay.” Harry nods, getting up on his haunches and removing his fingers causing Louis to feel empty. Louis watches with wide eyes as Harry wipes his fingers on the sheet, then reaches for the lube again, coating his cock in a generous amount. Next Louis feels Harry’s head at his entrance and gasps, but Harry seems to be in a teasing mood today. Instead of sinking it, Harry pulls out and taps Louis’ open hole with the head of his cock, then brings one hand down to fondle Louis’ balls. Louis almost comes from all of the sensation. Harry smirks down at him, the bastard. He knows what he’s doing. 

“Fuck. H-harry…” Louis trails off, arching his back attempting to get Harry inside of him. Harry finally uses one large hand to line himself up, then slowly sinks into Louis. The stretch and burn hurts, but at the same time, it feels so good Louis could cry. Once Harry has bottomed out, he places each forearm on either side of Louis’ head, holding himself above Louis. He doesn't move, allowing Louis a moment to adjust to Harry’s length. Louis doesn’t say anything, instead he wraps his short legs around Harry’s hips and thrust up. Harry bites back a moan, lips coming down to meet Louis’ in a heated kiss. 

Harry begins fucking him slow, matching the movement of his tongue to the rhythm of his hips. Louis just moans into it, feeling Harry’s stomach grinding against his own cock, spurring him on. They don’t talk much, which is a bit abnormal for Louis, but he is just so lost in Harry, he doesn’t find a need for words. They are just a tangle of limbs, spit, and sweat as Harry continues his slow grind, not picking up his pace at all, driving Louis crazy. 

“God, Lou. I’m so fucking close,” Harry whispers, tongue delving into Louis’ mouth, not giving him a chance to respond. Those words send a spark through Louis’ spine, ending at his own cock. 

Louis pushes his hand though Harry’s curls and brings his head to the side, eyes rolling back into his skull at one particularly deep thrust. Harry begins mouthing his jawline then neck, leaving little bites in his wake. “Come on, baby. That’s it. You fuck me so good. I need you to come though,” Louis mummers towards the ceiling, feeling close to his own orgasm. 

“Want you to come with me.” Harry’s deep voice is thick with desire. 

“Can’t,” Louis moans out, needing some more friction on his cock. 

“Yes, you can. Come untouched for me.” Harry’s low voice is directly in his ear. Harry then changes the angle of his hips, going even deeper. Louis cries out when the tip of Harry’s dick jabs his prostate, instead of just rubbing against it, with each thrust. 

“Fuck. Right there. Fuck. God. Harry. Fuck. I’m so close. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” Louis cries out, his string of curse words cut off by Harry’s incessant mouth. Louis feels like he is going to explode. His whole body is shivering with his approaching orgasm. Harry is fucking him so slow and thoroughly; he thinks he may have died and went to heaven. With every thrust, the tip of Harry’s cock bumps his spot, sending a rush of pleasure throughout his system. 

“You’re gonna make me come.” Harry’s gravelly voice whispers the words in his ear, sending Louis over the edge to oblivion. Come spurts out of the tip of his cock, coating his chest and Harry’s stomach. His whole body tightens around Harry, sucking his shaft deeper into him, as the orgasm rakes though his entire body, prompting him to scream with the pleasure. Harry moans in his ear, hips stopping as he releases into Louis, gripping Louis’ big ass tight enough to leave bruises. Louis’ limb’s shake as he comes down from his high, clutching Harry’s hair and shoulders like a lifeline, attempting to catch his breath. 

Harry finally pulls out, but stays in the cradle of Louis’ legs. Louis very much enjoys the weight on top of him, even though it makes it a bit harder to breath. He cards his fingers through Harry’s curls, staring at the ceiling, but not really thinking about anything, just enjoying the moment. “Not gonna be able to do that much longer,” Harry says slowly. It startles Louis because he thought Harry had fallen back to sleep. 

“What?” Louis asks, confused by the statement. 

“When I’m bigger, I don’t know how it will, like, logistically workout. You know, I’ll have a big tummy and stuff,” Harry answers, rolling off Louis. Both men reposition themselves so that they are looking at each other, mirroring positions. Louis can feel Harry’s come leaking out of his hole, but he doesn’t mind. He likes the reminder. 

“We’ll figure something out love. You’re right, it will make it more difficult, but I’d like for you to continue fucking me just as much as I’d like to continue fucking you.” Louis smirks. 

“Good. I’d like that, too. My sex drive has been crazy high lately. It may be like that throughout the whole pregnancy,” Harry raises his eyebrows, as if he is waiting for louis to give a negative response. Honestly, Harry should know him better than that, but Louis thinks it is probably just the hormones. 

“I hope so too. I love having sex with you. Especially since you’re pregnant. I don’t know, just something about it turns me on,” Louis admits, not making eye contact with Harry. He can feel the blush rise on his cheeks, but he felt the need to tell Harry that tidbit of information. Wanting to make sure Harry knows that he is still going to find him attractive. In fact, he may even find him more attractive. 

“Really? I mean, I kind of suspected with some of what you’ve been saying when we have sex, but I wasn’t sure. I think it kind of turns me on too,” Harry replies smiling when Louis’ head snaps up. 

“Good,” Louis says, leaning in to kiss his husband. 

 

_________

 

“Harry and Louis.” At his first name, Harry’s head snaps up, and Louis’ does the same. Harry sees Nurse Piper smiling broadly at them, then gestures for them to follow her. Harry is pleased that they are on a first name basis now. As much as he loves their hyphenated last names, Mr. Styles-Tomlinson just seemed far too formal.

“Good afternoon,” Louis says politely once they walk towards the entry way. 

“Hello. Louis you can go ahead and have a seat. Harry, I need you to hop up on the exam table for me.” Piper gestures once she leads them to an exam room. 

“Sure thing,” Harry replies, getting on his tiptoes to sit on the exam table then scooting back. He hates how cold the room is, but figures it is necessary given the environment. 

“So experiencing anymore nausea, or mood swings, back aches, pelvic cramping, or any other symptoms,” Piper asks while taking Harry’s vitals. 

“The medicine kind of helped with the nausea, but I seem to have an aversion to the shampoo Louis had been using. I’ve had some mood swings, but nothing too terrible. No backaches or pelvic cramping. Umm… I have also had an increase in sex drive.” Harry says the last part shyly, cheeks burning at the admissions. He is normally perfectly comfortable to talk about his sex life, however, this just seems odd. The nurse is a complete stranger, but Harry knows he has to be honest.  

“Glad the medicine helped. Increase in sex drive is pretty common in pregnant people, your husband should just be glad it didn’t swing the other way.” Piper winks at Louis prompting both men to laugh. “Everything seems fine with your vitals. Nurse Angie will come in to perform the ultrasound then Dr. Burns will be in to speak with you. Do you have any questions for me.” Both men shake their heads, anxious to get to the ultrasound part of the appointment. Piper nods in understanding and leaves the room. Not even a minute later, there is another knock on the door, Nurse Angie poking her head in almost immediately. 

“Hey,” Harry greets, smiling when the nurse comes into the room fully. 

“Hello. I bet you all are excited for this part,” she says knowingly. She then wheels the same machine they used to look at Harry’s reproductive system over to the exam table. “Louis if you would please come over here and stand beside Harry. I wanna make sure you have a good view.” 

“Okay,” Louis stands up and wipes his palms down the front of his jeans, clearly nervous. Harry offers him a reassuring smile. Louis smiles back tightly. Harry is starting to feel nervous, too. What if she doesn't find a heartbeat? What if they tell him the pregnancy test were wrong and he was never pregnant to begin with? So many questions are floating around in his mind that he misses Piper’s next instructions. 

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes, cheeks heating up at the fact that he was clearly not listening to her. 

“It’s okay. I just need you to lay back on the exam table for me and lift your shirt, like last time.” Harry does as he is told and carefully lays back. He feels Louis’ warm palm on his upper back, helping him go slow. Once he has laid back, he lifts up his shirt, exposing his flat stomach and tattoos. Louis reaches out one finger and runs it along with waist line of Harry’s jeans, causing goosebumps to pop up all over Harry’s body. Louis smirks at Harry’s reaction. 

“This is going to be kind of cold, remember?” Piper warns, squeezing a large blob of gel onto his stomach. It’s cold and shocks his system, forcing him to let out a gasp. He hears Louis chuckle beside of him and he shoots him a glare, wishing Louis could feel how cold it actually is. Louis takes Harry’s hand in his own, squeezing it tightly. Harry is happy for the strength and warmth Louis provides with the simple action. The screen is pointed away from them as she flicks a switch. Suddenly the entire room comes alive to the sound of what is very clearly a quickly beating heart. Harry’s eyes find Louis’, smiling madly at each other. Louis’ eyes are misty with emotion. Harry can feel his own well up, a single tear already falling down his cheek. That’s it. That’s their baby’s heartbeat. A physical manifestation of his love for Louis. It’s real. They are having a baby. Harry doesn’t think he has ever heard a more beautiful sound. 

“What’s that?” Louis asks, sniffling. Harry listens carefully for a moment, finally hearing what Louis has pointed out. 

Harry watches with worry as Piper’s eyebrows crease into a frown. She is now staring intensely at the screen, moving the wand around Harry’s stomach like she is looking for something. Harry feels the panic rise in his throat. 

“What is it?” Harry asks, barely holding back tears. His entire body feels cold and numb. He just has a feeling it is bad, whatever it is. She is quiet as she turns off the machine and turns to them. 

“I need to go get Dr. Burns for a second opinion,” she says, then she quickly leaves the room in tension. 

“What the fuck is going on?” Harry asks his husband, attempting to keep the panic from his voice. His eyes are wide. He has never been so fucking scared in his life. Something is wrong with their baby. That has to be it. She wouldn't have reacted that way if nothing was wrong, would she? 

“I don’t know, love, but try to keep calm. It may be nothing,” Louis soothes, gripping Harry’s hand tightly and kissing his temple. 

“Lou, what if-- what if…” Harry can’t even get the question out as he bites back a sob. 

“Shh, baby. We don’t know anything right now. Please try to stay calm. I know it’s hard, but it may be nothing.” Louis whispers the words in his ear, like a secret. It does help to calm his racing heart, but it does nothing for the cold that has seeped into his bones. A minute later, but it feels like hours really, they hear a knock on the door. They don’t even vocally answer, just see Dr. Burns and Piper come into the room. Dr. Burns is smiling, but the kind gesture doesn't stop the sinking feeling in his stomach. He thinks he may be sick. 

“Nurse Piper said she needed a second opinion, so let’s take a look. Shall we?” She says coming up to the exam table and taking the discarded wand in her hand. She turns on the machine. The room is quiet with tension. Harry is grasping Louis’ hand so hard, he is probably hurting him, but Louis doesn’t complain. Dr. Burns looks at the screen, eyebrows creased into a look of concentration. Finally she looks up and smiles. “Everything is fine.” Harry releases a breath he hadn’t even realized he had been holding at her report. 

“Okay, but why did she need you?” Louis asks, voice wavering with emotion. Harry glances at his husband. Louis looks relieved, but it is clear how scared he is too. Harry feels bad for not comforting his husband like Louis had comforted him. 

“Oh. I’m sorry she scared you. She just needed me to confirm that you are having triplets.” The room is so silent with her announcement, Harry is sure he could have been able to hear a pin drop from down the hall. Harry replays her words over and over in his head, sure he misheard. They are having triplets. He is pregnant with triplets? It can’t be true. Surely there is only one in there. He isn’t sure what he is feeling. First he was ecstatic to hear the heartbeat, then he was panicked thinking something had been wrong, then he was relieved to hear that nothing was wrong, and now he is back to scared or maybe happy. He thinks he is happy, but fuck… triplets. 

Harry chances a glance at Louis. Louis is pale, the freckles on his cheeks standing out in stark contrast to his sickly looking skin. His eyes are unfocused. He is definitely in shock. “Come again? ” Louis finally asks, snapping his attention back to the doctor and nurse. Harry also looks back at them. 

“I said, you are having triplets. Here, take a look,” Dr. Burns reiterates then pushes the screen towards the couple. She begins pointing with her finger. “Here is the first sac. You can see you have identical twins here,” She points to the left. Harry can make out two small peanut shaped blobs with in the area she is pointing to. He also hears their individual heartbeat. The second one is what Louis pointed out earlier. “Then here is a second sac. Their fraternal triplet.” She then moves the wand over an inch or two and points to another spot on the monitor that has a very clear blob in it. 

“How-- how did this happen. Isn’t this, like, rare?” Louis asks still holding Harry’s hand and squinting at the screen. Harry is starting to worry about Louis a bit. His complexion still hasn’t returned to it’s normal tan shade. He is clearly shaking, and his palm is sweaty. Harry doesn't complain though. He figures they will have a conversation later. Louis isn’t the type of person who likes having important conversations in front of strangers. 

“It is rare, but not unheard of. I did say that the fertility medication could result in multiples. I am guessing the medicine prompted Harry’s body to release two eggs. One just so happened to become identical twins while the other just stayed one baby. They were both fertilized then implanted,” Dr. Burns explains, carefully watching Louis. Harry knows she is probably afraid the poor man is going to faint any minute now. Harry is kind of worried for that himself. 

“Are-- are they healthy?” Harry asks the question that has been plaguing him from the very beginning, watching as their babies move around the screen. It is so weird to think that is going on inside of him. 

“They all have strong heartbeats, and are measuring a little on the small side, but that is normal for triplets, as long as they aren't too small. You are a healthy person, so I don’t foresee any issues. This, unfortunately, puts your pregnancy in the high risk category. You will probably deliver early, and you may want to consider a planned cesarean...” 

“No.” Harry cuts her off. He hasn’t said as much to Louis yet, but he continues, “I-- I mean, I would like to avoid a cesarean if at all possible. I would like to do this as naturally as I can.” He glances at Louis to see his reaction to this development. Louis just nods, probably knowing his husband and what his preference would be. He loves how well Louis knows him. He probably wouldn’t have even needed to talk to him about it because Louis just gets him. 

“Okay. It’s going to be very tricky, but if you are sure. As long as you stay healthy, and do as I say, then it may not be an issue. We will have to keep an eye on things as we move forward. We can discuss your birth plan in more detail at a later appointment.” 

“I mean, obviously, if my life or their lives are in danger, I am willing to have a c-section, but I would like to try to do this naturally.” Harry feels the need to clarify. He doesn’t think he is being outrageous about a natural birth. He knows that he is going to be at a high risk with the fact that there will be triplets, but he wants to at least try. 

“Okay, fair enough. You will start showing a lot sooner than most people, so be ready for that. You will also experience more discomfort, like back pain, for example, since you will have more weight to carry around. Like I said before, you will probably deliver early. 36 weeks is considered full term when multiples are involved. They will probably be small, but we will do everything in our power to make sure they are healthy. If you have any outrageous symptoms like a lot of cramping or even bleeding, please go straight to the emergency room and have them call me.” Dr. Burns is now talking quickly. Harry feels like his head is spinning from the onslaught of information. He is trying to keep it all straight, but it’s hard when there is just so much. She smiles at him, like she understands and stops talking.  

“Do you want some sonogram pictures?” Piper asks from her spot in the corner. 

“Oh, yes please,” Harry answers, the excitement back. This is really happening. He is really pregnant, with triplets no less. That thought brings the fear back. He doesn't know how to feel.

“Do you have any questions for me while Piper goes to print those off?” Dr. Burns asks handing Harry some paper towels. Harry quickly wipes the gunk from his abdomen and sits up, with Louis’ help, of course. Harry feels like he should have a million questions for her, but finds himself shaking his head, Louis doing the same. 

“No,” Louis replies, voice small and slightly shaky. Dr. Burns studies him for a moment. 

“Okay. Well call me if you think of anything. I know you were just given a lot of information, and it is probably a bit of a shock. Please don’t worry. I specialize in fertility and high risk pregnancy, so you are in good hands. Congratulations, again.” She then exits the room, passing Piper as she hands Harry the sonogram pictures. The grainy black and white images already meaning so much to him. 

“I went ahead and grabbed your card with the next appointment on it. Dr. Burns wants to see you back here in eight weeks. We should be able to tell you the sex of the babies then, if that is something you would like to know.” She hands Louis the card then walks out the door, leaving the room heavy with silence. Louis wordlessly pulls Harry off the exam table and out the door. Harry is worried about his husband, but knows Louis needs his own time to process things. It really is a big shock. 

 

__________

 

Louis has been avoiding Harry for the last five days since Harry’s appointment where they found out they would be having triplets. He knows it is a dick move to avoid his pregnant husband, but he isn’t actually avoiding him per se. He has been spending time with him and everything; he has just been avoiding the topic of the babies. It’s not his fault that the newest project has been demanding his time at the office. He just texted Harry telling him he would be late getting home again. He knows he is upsetting Harry, but he just needs time to think. He really wants to talk to someone, but they had agreed to keep it a secret. 

“Earth to Louis. Come in,” Niall says waving a hand in front of Louis’ face, snapping him out of his thoughts. 

“Sorry. I was in different world there,” Louis apologizes looking back down at the computer screen. Niall is his best friend. They started with the company at the exact same time and were put on a team together from day one. They work so well together, the company hasn’t even considered separating them.

“I can see. What’s gotten into you lately. You seem to be functioning in a different realm,” Niall asks throwing the stress ball that was on Louis’ desk from one hand to the other, blue eyes not leaving Louis. 

“Nothing,” Louis lies, avoiding his gaze and looking back down at the laptop. He watches as a hand comes up from behind and shuts the laptop. “What the fuck, man. I was working on something. How do you know I even had it saved?” Louis exclaims, glaring at Niall. 

“Come off it. You save your work obsessively, and you haven't added anything to it in the past hour because you have been in your own little world. So tell me what’s going on.” 

Louis sighs and rubs his face hard, trying to get his thoughts in order. He really wants to tell Niall. For the sake of his own sanity, he feels like he needs to. Harry will probably get upset, but fuck it, Harry will also want to thank him if Niall is able to help, so he shrugs. “Fine, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. I mean anyone at all. Deal?” 

Niall, seeming to grasp the severity of the situation from Louis’ tone, stops throwing the ball immediately and places it back on the desk. He leans forward in his chair, giving Louis his full attention. “Of course, man. You know I won’t say anything. Your secret’s safe with me.” 

Louis sighs one last time before preparing to say it out loud. “Harry’s pregnant.” 

Louis watches as Niall’s expression goes from shock, to happy, to confused in the span of five seconds. “Wait, is this not a good thing? Did you not want it to happen?” 

“Yeah. We had actually been trying for a year and half…” 

“What? And you didn’t tell anyone?” Niall interrupts. 

“No. We didn’t want to deal with all the questions,” Louis answers, finally meeting Niall’s gaze. 

“I’m still confused. Then wouldn’t Harry being pregnant be a good thing?” 

“Yes, it is. It’s just that…” Louis trails off trying to think of the best way to say the next part. “The other day at our eight week appointment, we found out that he is having triplets. We are having triplets.” 

“Oh.” Niall’s face freezes, his mouth forming the shape of an ‘O’. It would comical if Louis wasn’t in inner turmoil. 

“Yeah, oh. What the fuck am I going to do Niall? Babies are expensive. How are we going to afford three babies on our salary? I mean, I get paid well, but I don’t know how we are going to do it. I may be a terrible father. Like I didn’t have a father to look up to in my own life, what was I thinking wanting to start a family? I don’t know how to be a proper father. I can barely take care of myself most days. I will probably be terrible…” His rambling is cut off when Niall places a firm hand over his mouth. 

“Lou, stop.” His eyes are soft when he removes the hand. “You are just talking crazy. You will be a great father. You are so great with your younger siblings, you practically raised them. You and Harry are amazing. You are going to be great parents, so please don’t doubt yourself there. Any kid would be lucky to have you. Hell, I would love to have you guys as my parents. As for the money thing, you’re right, triplets are going to be expensive, but you have family and friends that will help you. You may even get that promotion before they are born,” Niall points out. 

Louis lets his words sink in, realizing immediately how much better he feels now that he has voiced his concerns. He knows he should have probably voiced them to Harry, but he didn’t want to add any stress or for him over overreact. He is happy. He  _ is _ . He is just also petrified. “You’re right, Niall. I know you are. We can figure it out. I guess I just kind of freaked out. I have been a right dick to Harry over the last few days. Every time he has tried to discuss it with me, I have shut him down. I feel terrible.” Louis bows his head in shame. 

“Hey, it’s alright. You’re human. I am sure Harry will understand. You need to talk to him though, so go. Get out of here and talk to your husband,” Niall commands, quickly standing up. 

“What? No. Niall, we have shit we’ve gotta get done,” Louis protest, gesturing wildly to his disorganized desk. 

“It will be here tomorrow. You’re of no use to me when your on a different planet. Go and make things right with Haz first. We can pick up where we left off first thing tomorrow morning,” Niall dismisses. 

“You’re right. Thanks, Ni. Love ya,” Louis says, grabbing his briefcase, clapping Niall on the shoulder and running out the door. Louis probably drives far too quickly to get home, eager to make things right after his discussion with Niall. He really has been a complete and total prick over this whole thing. He feels so bad for his treatment of Harry. He parks his car in their driveway and rushes in, opening the door and quickly toeing off his shoes. He doesn't announce his presence, instead he goes to the kitchen first to look for Harry. When he doesn’t find him he runs up the stairs, as quietly as possible. He goes to their room first and finds the lights off. He can see the outline of Harry’s form, laying on top of the bed. 

“Lou?” He asks, voice thick with emotion. Louis’ heart breaks a tiny bit knowing that his husband had been crying, and he is the reason for the tears. 

“Yeah. It’s me. May I come in?” Louis asks softly, taking a tentative step inside the dim room. He doesn’t move to turn on the lights, sensing Harry’s need for the dark. 

“Um.. sure,” Harry says. Louis can barely make out Harry’s hands as the quickly swipe under his eyes, but he clearly hears him sniffle. 

“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry I upset you,” Louis starts, laying down on the bed to wrap Harry in his arms. Harry openly cries into his chest, clutching at the fabric of his dress shirt. “It’s okay, baby. Shh. I’m here now. I am so very sorry for being a dick this week. I just needed some time to process everything.”

“Do-- do you still want the babies?” Harry asks through a sob. Louis’ heart breaks in two with his question. He hates himself for ever allowing Harry to even consider the possibility that Louis wouldn’t want his child or children in this case. Fuck. Children. 

“Of course, I do. Please, baby, don’t ever think for a second I didn’t want them. I do. I love them so much already. I was just really shocked, that’s all. I panicked a bit. I started thinking about money and my ability to be a good father, when I should have been focusing on that fact that we are finally growing our family. I love you so much, baby. I am so sorry you ever thought that. Please believe me,” Louis rambles holding his husband tightly, trying to show how much he truly means his words. 

“Lou, you’re going to a terrific father, regardless of having one baby or three. I promise you that. I’ve also been panicking a bit over money and stuff. You should have talked to me,” Harry finally says, pushing against Louis’ chest to look up into his eyes. Louis can barely make out the green in the dim lighting, but it is enough to see the honesty. 

“I know, love. I guess I just needed someone to knock some sense into me.” Louis immediately freezes at his words internally berating himself for letting them slip out. 

“Wait, who talked some sense into you?” Harry asks. 

“Umm…” Louis starts, considering for a very brief moment lying to his husband, but ultimately deciding not to. “Niall, actually. I’m sorry, but I told him. He knew something was up, and I needed someone to talk to. Please don’t be mad.” 

There is a long pause where Harry is considering what Louis just said. Louis is holding his breath, mentally preparing himself for his husband to be angry or start crying all over again. “It’s okay. I’m not mad. He’s your best friend, and I understand why you felt the need to tell him. You were panicking and needed someone to talk to, but I wish you would have just talked to me.” 

Louis was shocked by Harry’s understanding then narrowed his eyes, suspicious. “Who did you tell?” He finally asks, looking down at Harry. He can see when Harry averts his eyes and bites his lip. 

“Erm. I may have told Liam. I-- I needed someone to talk to as well since you had been avoiding me, so I told him yesterday when he came over. He promised not to tell anyone, not even Sophia. I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you!” Harry confesses, still not meeting Louis’ eyes. 

“Baby. Baby. Shh. It’s okay. I’m not mad. I am actually kind of happy that we both got to tell our best friends alone, you know? I mean the circumstances were shitty, but I think it is kind of better this way. There was no way we could keep it a secret for another two weeks.” Louis and Harry both chuckle knowing it to be the truth, especially if Harry is going to start showing soon. 

“He is happy for us, you know? He was kind of upset that I didn’t tell him were were trying, but understood our reasoning,” Harry tells him. 

“Yeah. Niall was the same. Again, I am so sorry with the way I acted this week. Will you forgive me?” Louis asks, looking deeply into Harry’s eyes. 

“Of course. You’re human. You’re allowed to act like a dick every now and again I suppose.”

“I love you.” Louis kisses Harry tenderly, snaking one hand down to cup Harry’s still flat tummy, imagining that his children are moving around under his fingertips. 

“I love you too, asshole,” Harry replies smiling up at him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments are always welcome!  
> Follow me on my social media for updates or just to chat xx  
> Twitter: @Wicked_Archer  
> Tumblr: wicked-archer


	4. Kumquat

“Lou. Lou. Lou! Wake up! Lou!” Harry’s voice breaks into Louis’ consciousness, and he feels an incessant poking on his back. He wakes up in panic, remembering his husband is pregnant, and he could be hurt. 

“What is it? Baby, are you okay? Are the babies okay?” Louis asks, sitting up quickly, heart beating wildly, looking around the room for his husband. He finally finds him standing beside the bed with a huge smile on his face, completely naked, hair wet from the shower. 

“I’m fine. We’re fine. But look!” Harry excitedly turns to the side, offering Louis a view of his profile. Louis stares at his husband for a second, sleep addled brain not quite comprehending what he is supposed to be looking at. Harry waits patiently for Louis to catch up, going up on his tiptoes every few seconds then dropping back down, Louis’ gaze following the motion. Finally, Louis thinks he sees the reason Harry woke him up. Right between his laurel tattoo and under his butterfly tattoo, he has the smallest bump. Most people probably wouldn’t notice, since it could easily be mistaken for a large meal, but Louis knows his husband’s body better than he knows his own. There is definitely a small bump there. 

“Ah. Baby, come here.” Louis smiles widely, crinkles forming in the corner of his eyes. He makes grabby hands for Harry, and Harry comes over to stand directly in front of Louis. Louis repositions himself on the bed, so he is now sitting crossed legged, facing his husband. He looks up at Harry and tentatively reaches a hand out, placing it on Harry’s subtle bump. The skin is firm under his fingers, not soft like it used to be. Louis rubs back and forth in wonder, there are really babies under there. His babies. Their babies. He can feel the prickle of a tear in his eyes and blinks it away. He brings his other hand up, using both to cup around the tiny bump. 

“I know. It’s like they are really in there. I noticed when I got out of the shower and wanted to show you. I hope you’re not mad at me for waking you up early,” Harry explains.

“No, Baby, I’m not mad. It’s a good thing to wake up to. Isn’t it a little early for you to be showing though?” Louis replies, kissing the spot between his hands, smiling when he sees goosebumps raise up on his husband’s skin. He pulls Harry down to lay in bed beside him, cuddling him close but keeping one hand on his stomach, already obsessed with the firm skin there.

“No.” Harry cuddles closer to Louis, bringing their chest together. “Google and the pregnancy books tell me that some people start showing as early at 12 weeks. Dr. Burns also said as much in our last appointment, although I think both of us were in shock. I will be 12 weeks in a few days, and I am pregnant with triplets. I guess it’s not surprising that I show just a tiny bit early,” Harry tells him, running his fingers through Louis’ short hair. It feels so good, Louis almost wants to fall back to sleep, but his body has other plans. 

“Makes sense,” Louis mummers then begins kissing Harry’s jawline. He feels his husband’s body respond almost immediately, cock getting just a tiny bit harder against Louis’ hip. Louis smiles. 

“Lou,” Harry whines, tipping his head to give Louis better access. “I can’t. I’ve gotta go to work.” 

“You can be late. You’re their best employee. Your boss won’t care if you’re a few minutes late,” Louis reasons, biting Harry’s neck, sucking on the skin. He feels it when Harry moans, deep vibrations go from the long column of Harry’s neck straight into Louis’ open mouth. 

“I can’t,” Harry says again but doesn’t pull away. 

“Come on. No one would blame me. I have a very sexy and very naked husband in bed with me. In fact, it would be a crime not to fuck him.” Louis trails one hand down Harry’s body, skimming over his new formed bump to find his cock. He rubs the smooth skin, quickly bringing Harry to full hardness. Harry rolls over on his back, which Louis takes as an invitation to attack his lips, kissing him hard, delving his tongue between them. 

He kisses his way down Harry’s body, paying special attention to each tattoo and Harry’s stomach. Harry’s skin is hot beneath his lips. He moans when Louis kisses the tip of his cock, already wet with precome. They don’t have time to actually fuck, but they can at least do something. He looks up at Harry to make eye contact as he slowly takes the head of his cock into his mouth, using a firm tongue to circle the slit. Harry cries out, the sound going directly to Louis’ hard cock. 

He slowly begins working up a rhythm, bobbing his head up and down, taking the shaft as far down as he can go then coming back up. Harry is making the most beautiful sounds, prompting his own hips, to their own accord, to grind down into the bed. He flattens his tongue to trace the vein on the underside of Harry’s dick. Harry almost screams, gaze going to the ceiling in pleasure. 

“Look at me, Baby, while I suck your dick,” Louis rasps out, throat raw from sleep and having Harry’s cock down his throat. Harry’s green eyes snap to Louis’, almost black with lust. He bites his lips as he watches Louis go back to the task of getting his husband off. Even when Harry moans in pleasure, he doesn’t take his gaze off Louis, maintaining eye contact. When Louis snakes one Hand up to fondle Harry’s tight balls, Harry screams out. Louis can tell he is about to come. Louis is close to his own release, the sheets on the bed creating the perfect amount of pressure on his cock, Harry’s moans carrying him on. 

Louis suddenly remembers what they talked about before. How the fact that Harry is now pregnant turns them both on, so never breaking his gaze, he brings both hands to rest them over Harry’s barely there bump, doubling his efforts. Harry’s eyes go wide then he cries out, legs twitching, as come shoots down Louis’ throat. Louis moans as he swallows every drop, coming from the taste of Harry on his tongue. 

“Jesus,” Harry says after a few moments of heavy breathing. 

Louis chuckles, grimacing at the wet spot under his hips as he makes his way up Harry’s body, laying down carefully beside him. “Now you may go to work.” 

“Don’t wanna. I feel like Jello.” Harry dramatically pulls one long arm over his face, hiding his eyes. 

“Gotta. You may end up working from home though, sooner or later,” Louis says, pointedly rubbing Harry’s belly. 

“Yeah. I know you’re right,” Harry sighs, then begins to sit up. Louis helps him then sits up himself. 

“Don’t worry about the sheets. I’ll pop them in the washer before I leave,” Louis says when Harry glances down at the wet spot on the bed. 

“Thanks, love. Don’t forget to invite your family over for Saturday. I figured we can tell them then post it on social media,” Harry reminds. Louis rolls his eyes but smiles because he knows he can be forgetful. Although Harry hasn’t been much better lately with what he keeps referring to as ‘baby brain’. The other day he called Louis and while they were talking he was getting frustrated because he couldn’t find his cell phone. Louis had to remind him that it was in his hand because he was talking on it. Louis had to cover the receiver because he was laughing so hard but didn’t want Harry to know. 

“Will do,” Louis replies, saluting then laughing when Harry rolls his eyes.  

 

__________

 

Harry is thankful that he and Louis decided to order pizza to feed their families. Their combined family is quite large, afterall, and he is very tired even though he didn’t do much today. All of Louis’ siblings are coming because Louis didn’t want the younger ones to feel left out of the announcement. So in less than hour, their house is going to be packed full of people. Harry is starting to get nervous about their reactions to the news. He knows, logically, that everyone will be thrilled, but that doesn’t stop him from having a nagging pang of doubt. He glances at the clock, seeing that Louis is late, yet again. Work has been keeping him late more often than not in the past few weeks. Harry is going to be so glad when Louis is done with his project, so he can finally have his husband back. 

“Lou is that you?” Harry calls when he hears the front door open. 

“No, it’s me.” Harry hears Liam reply from the living room. A moment later, he watches as the other man makes his way through the entryway of the kitchen. “Lou still not home?” 

“No.” Harry sighs. “He should be here with Niall any minute now. Niall better come; he is in charge of filming their reactions. Where’s Sophia?” 

“I’m sure they will be here any minute now. Soph is coming later. She was running errands and needed to drop Jameson off at her Mom’s house,” Liam explains coming fully into the kitchen and hugging Harry. 

“Yeah. I’m just glad the weather cooled down. I started to show last week, so I didn’t want them to get suspicious if I were wearing super baggy clothes when it was hot out.” Harry looks down at his long baggy lavender sweater. He loves it when Louis steals it during the cool months because it swallows him whole. He paired the sweater with  black skinny jeans. They still fit, but just barely. He needs to go maternity clothes shopping sooner rather than later. He is dreading it, though. He has never had body image issues, but lately he has been starting to feel like he is fat. 

“Oh my god, you started to show!” Liam exclaims, looking down at his stomach. “Would it be weird if I asked to see?” Liam looks down at his feet, blushing. 

“No. You’re my best friend. We have known each other for like ten years. It’s not weird at all,” Harry replies lifting up his shirt to show Liam is barely there bump. It is definitely more prominent than it was a week and half ago when he first woke Louis up to show him. The babies seem to be growing well and fast. 

“Awe!” Liam coos placing one warm hand over Harry’s slightly protruding belly. Harry smiles at the sight. He loves Liam so much. They have been through a lot together. He feels a tear prickle his eye at the thought, but quickly blinks it away, not wanting to get emotional. 

“What are you doing to my husband?” Harry hears Louis’ voice from behind Liam. Liam quickly removes his hand as if Harry burned him, places it behind his back and whips around. His cheeks are pink with embarrassment. Harry barely suppresses a smile. 

“I-- I’m sorry. I was just…” Liam stumbles out, face going redder by the second. 

“Relax man. I was just kidding. You know I don’t care,” Louis says laughing and clapping Liam on the shoulder. Liam lets out a visible sigh of relief. Ever since Harry introduced the two, Louis loved giving Liam a hard time. This instance is no different. 

“Oh, you’re showing!” Harry watches as Niall pushes Liam and Louis out the way and places both hands on Harry’s belly, smiling madly. He didn’t ask, but Harry doesn't mind. Niall is a hard person to be angry at. It would be like getting angry at an over excited puppy. Impossible really. 

“Yeah. He started showing about a week and half ago,” Louis provides, winking at Harry who just smiles back, happy to have their friends in the same room and talking freely about his pregnancy. He can’t wait until everyone knows. He is a terrible liar and hates keeping secrets from his mom and Gemma. The doorbell rings and all of their heads snap to the sound. Niall removes his hands and Harry quickly drops his shirt. 

“It’s probably the pizza. I’ll get it,” Louis volunteers looking at his watch. He leaves the room and a few minutes later comes back carrying several large pizza boxes. The four men get to work, laying them all out on the table along with paper plates and napkins. Harry and Louis both have to slap Niall’s hand away on two separate occasions, the always hungry man trying to snag a slice before the others arrive.  Just as they are finished, they hear the doorbell ring again. 

“Ready for this baby?” Louis whispers in Harry’s ear, placing a warm hand on the small of his back. 

“Yup. I think so,” Harry replies taking a deep breath and smiling at his husband. They hold hands as they exit the room to open the door. After that, the entire house is in chaos. Louis’ family is the first to arrive, and with six siblings, there are a lot of voices all talking at once. Liam’s eyes are wide with the commotion, but Niall takes it in stride, always one to be able to talk to anyone about anything. Next, Harry’s Mom, Robin, and Gemma arrive together. They introduce Niall to them, he and Gemma hitting it off almost instantly. Gemma is a lot like Louis, so it isn’t surprising, however Harry still makes a mental note to keep an eye on Niall and his sister. He doesn't know how he feels about this most recent development. 

“Relax. Niall’s a good guy,” Louis says in his ear, as if reading his mind. It is creepy how Louis is able to do that. Harry supposes that being together eight years will do that to a couple, though. 

“I know. She’s just my sister,” Harry pouts, glaring at the two. Gemma is currently laughing at something Niall is saying. 

“She is, but if there is anyone I would want to be with my sister, then I would pick Niall,” Louis responds, smiling as Gemma starts to flirt. 

“Good. Then maybe he should go after Lottie.” 

“Nah. He’s not her type, nor is she his. You know that.” Louis chuckles. Harry laughs too because the very idea of Niall and Lottie together is just plain weird. 

“Okay. Let’s just see what happens,” Harry says, turning towards Louis and kissing him. They all make their way to the kitchen, filling their plates up with pizza and grabbing a drink. They all grab a seat in the living room, younger kids sitting on the floor or around the coffee table. Harry sits in Louis’ lap to give the family room. He is hesitant to do so at first, because he feels like he would crush Louis with his added weight, but Louis gives him a look. He concedes quickly, sitting down and making himself comfortable, eating way too many slices of pizza. His pants feel tighter as he eats, but he is so happy to be around his family, he kind of forgets to be self-conscience. 

“Alright everyone, it is time to play a game!” Louis says clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention. They had just finished eating and are all talking amongst themselves. “We are going to play pictionary. We’re going to pair up. One person is going to draw a picture for the other to guess. They will be competing against the other team who is drawing the same picture. The first team to guess it correctly wins a point.” 

“Sounds fun!” Fizzy says, smiling from her spot next to Dan. 

“We thought so too. Alright. Teams are as follows; Gemma and Dan; Robin and Lottie; Fizzy and Phoebe; Daisy and Liam; Niall and Sophia; Louis and Jay; me and Mom. The younger twins can just watch,” Harry says returning his mom’s smile. 

“Got it,” Niall nods, taking the entire thing very seriously, prompting everyone to laugh, Gemma lightly slapping him on the shoulder. 

“First up, we will have Gemma and Dan against Robin and Lottie. Please pull a piece of paper from the hat and start drawing,” Harry instructs gesturing to the two large pads on easels behind them. Since they have an odd number of teams, Niall and Sophia play the winner of the first round. They all are laughing so hard, they are in tears at Nialls attempt at drawing batman. Dan has a better technique of just drawing a bat and plus sign then a man. Harry and Louis are up next. Harry glances at his husband, both taking a deep breath as they stand. They make a show of picking a piece of paper out of the hat, even though they are going to completely ignore what is written on it. 

“Alright. Everyone remember, you can’t help them out,” Louis reminds, nervously rubbing his hand together. Everyone nods in understanding, Jay and Anne smiling at one another. Harry glances over to make sure Niall is filming the whole thing. Bless him he is. 

“Okay. On three.” Harry forgets his nerves when he counts off, focused on beating Louis and having his mom guess first. As soon as he says three, both men turn around and grab their markers. Harry’s is green while Louis’ is blue and begin drawing. Harry decides to start by attempting to draw his mother. He draws a woman shaped figure with long hair and two dots on her checks to represent dimples. God, he is a terrible drawer. Why did they think this was a good idea? Really? 

He looks to Anne who looks confused. He glances over at Louis, who seemed to have the same exact idea. Harry cheats by pointing at Jay then at the drawing. Louis does the same, the bastard. Jay and Anne both answer “Me” at the same time, Anne gesturing to herself. Harry and Louis violently nod when the get it correct. Harry then quickly turns around and thinks about what to draw next. This is hard. Really fucking hard. Next he decides to draw to male stick figures holding hands. He gives one short hair and the other wildly curly hair. He looks at Anne and gestures to himself and Louis. 

“You and Louis!” Anne exclaims, smiling brightly. Harry nods, knowing he isn’t allowed to say anything or break the rules of the game. Next he draws what he hopes looks like a baby wrapped in a blanket, but it turns out looking more like a burrito, so he decides to just draw baby things. He draws a bottle, a rattles, and tries to draw a pacifier. He and Louis pause at the same time to look at the mom’s. Harry doesn't know what else to draw, so he gives his mom a pleading look then gestures back at the drawings, begging her to put the pieces together. 

“Oh my God.” Harry hears Lotties exclaim, gasping and putting her hand over her mouth.

“Don’t you dare,” Louis warns holding up a finger and glaring at his little sister. She snaps her mouth shut the starts smiling. 

“What is it?” Anne asks, studying the picture. Harry is at a loss. He has no idea what else to draw at this point. He gestures to her, then to him and Louis, then to all of the a baby items he drew. It seems Louis is doing the same thing. 

“Me! You and Harry! Baby?” Jay says slowly, starting to put the pieces together. Louis is practically jumping up and down beside Harry with excitement. He thinks his mom has figured it out. 

“You and Harry are expecting a baby!?! We are going to be grandmothers?!” Anne exclaims the questions, jumping out of her seat in excitement. Jay follows her, watching as both Harry and Louis nod. 

“You got it mom!” Harry says, unable to contain his smile any longer. He knows his eyes are shining and his dimple is popping. 

“Congratulations. You’re going to be grandmothers, and grandfathers, and aunts and uncles!” Louis cries out, not being able to hold it in any longer either. 

“Are you lying to us?” Jay asks, suspicious because they have both denied even wanting children the last time they were asked. 

“Nope,” Harry says popping the ‘p’. He pulls out the two positive pregnancy test from his back pocket, flashing them at the group. Once Jay looks like she is convinced,  he sits his marker down as Louis snakes his arm around his waist. Jay and Ann immediately start crying and hugging each other. Robin and Dan shake hands, smiling brightly. The rest of the room erupts in cries of joy and questions, endless questions.  _ When are you due? When did you find out? Do you know what you’re having? Were you trying? Are you excited? How far along are you? Do you have a name picked out? Are you naming it after me?  _

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, everyone calm down. I know it is exciting news, but we have one more picture to show you. This time we are going to cheat a bit,” Louis  shouts, effectively getting the attention of the room. They all look at him curiously, clearly wondering what else he would want to share. Harry nods at Liam who goes into the kitchen to grab the large envelope. When he returns Harry thanks him, then he and Louis slide the announcement out of its protective layer, propping it up on one of the easels behind them. 

It is an enlarged photograph they had taken just the other day. It depicts four chalkboards, each having something different written on it. The first, in green lettering, says “First the Elder Wand”, beside the chalkboard is a replica of The Elder Wand. The next chalkboard reads “Then the Resurrection Stone” in blue, beside it sits a stone. In teal lettering, on the third chalk board, is written “Finally The Cloak of Invisibility” with a folded up cloak. A fourth chalk board is then laid out with the words written “All Magical Things Come in Three” with the Deathly Hallows symbol. Behind the chalkboards are Harry and Louis, kissing. Harry is wearing a tight shirt, proudly displaying his small bump, Louis hand is resting on it. At their chest, Harry is holding their own sign that reads “The Tomlinson Trio Coming April 2019”. Shocked gasps can be heard around the room as their family and friends begin to understand what the picture means. 

“Holy shit. You’re having triplets?” Lottie exclaims, finally breaking the shocked silence that has settled in the room. 

“Okay before the questions start, we are just going to go ahead and answer some, so you don’t have to ask,” Louis says holding up both hands trying to keep the chaos organized. Some of the family members already had their mouths open, getting ready to ask some type of question. Harry is kind of turned on with how well Louis commands a room. The man may be small, but he has a presence unlike anyone Harry has ever met. People say the same about Harry, but he isn’t sure he believes them. 

“Yes. We are having triplets. I am almost 14 weeks pregnant, which means we don’t know the sex of the babies yet. We hope to find out at our 16 week ultrasound, and we want to have a Halloween themed sex reveal party, that you are all invited to. Yes. We are both scared to death, but we are happy. We have actually been trying for a while now; we just didn’t tell anyone. I am due April 9th, but since it’s triplet I will probably deliver early. No. We have not picked names, yet.” With that answer, he looks pointedly at Niall who has been trying to get them to name one after him since he found out. Harry must have answered all of their questions because the whole family is sitting in shocked silence again. Finally Jay cries out and runs over to Louis, prompting Anne to do the same to her son. Harry catches her, squeezing her tightly. 

“I can’t believe my baby is having a baby,” she says through her tears. “Or babies I guess. Congratulations sweetheart. I am so happy for you both.” She then moves to hug Louis whispering something in his ear. Jay comes over to hug Harry, prompting the entire room to get up and gather around Harry and Louis, offering hugs, pats on the back, and congratulations. Harry is so happy he could burst. He and Louis keep glancing at one another, sharing private smiles. Louis’ are suspiciously shiny. Harry hasn’t even been attempting to hold back his tears, allowing them to flow freely. 

After the initial shock then congratulations, they talk for the rest of the night about the babies. It is overwhelming but amazing at the same time, because it is nice to be able to finally talk freely about the secret they have been keeping for almost 10 weeks. He relaxes into Louis’ side, feeling cozy and content breathing in Louis’ smell and surrounded by familiar voices. He eyes feel heavy as he begins to drift off to sleep. 

“Alright. We love you all, but I think I need to get this one into bed.” Louis soft voice breaks into his subconscious. Harry’s eyes snap open to see Louis smiling at him, blue eyes sparkling. He must have fallen asleep on Louis shoulder at some point. He blinks his eyes sleepily and rubs them. He is exhausted. He has had way more energy since reaching the second trimester, however, it has been a long day. 

“I’m sorry,” Harry says shyly. It is rude to fall asleep while you have guest, afterall. He feels ashamed for having done so. 

“Don’t apologize, love. You’re carrying three babies. If anyone has a right to fall asleep, it’s you. If anyone has anything to say about it, they can fuck off,” Louis tells the room with a smile. He snakes one hand under Harry’s sweater and rubs his bump softly. 

“Yeah. We really should be going.” Anne stands up from her spot, pulling Robin with her. 

“We should too,” Jay adds, gesturing for all of her children to stand. 

“Before you go-- umm-- Gemma, could I have your number?” Harry hears Niall ask his sister, low enough so only Gemma, Harry, and Louis could hear. Harry does his best to suppress his anger at Niall’s question. Louis squeezes his hip lightly in warning, shaking his head slightly when Harry looks down at him. 

“Yeah. Of course. Text me anytime,” Gemma replies, taking Niall’s phone from him and inputting her contact information. She then uses it to call her own, so she will also have Niall’s number. She must really like him. Harry knows she will give a fake number if she truly doesn't want someone to have it. While that would make it awkward for Harry, he would let Niall down gently for her. There doesn't seem to be a need for that this time though, since Gemma is now smiling and blushing at Niall like a schoolgirl.

“It was nice meeting you Gemma,” Niall says kissing Gemma’s knuckles. Louis rolls his eyes but smiles. Harry returns it this time, feeling slightly better about the development for some reason. They all say their goodbyes, offering congratulations to both Louis and Harry one last time before they leave. Once everyone is gone, the silence is deafening. It is so strange to go from a room full of people to no one but he and Louis in the span of just a few minutes. 

“This place is a mess,” Harry declares looking wearily around the room, dread laced through his tone. 

“Don’t worry about it. I will take care of it tomorrow. I promise. You look exhausted baby; we should go to bed.” Louis grabs Harry’s hand and pulls him towards the stairs. Harry is so thankful for Louis’ offer of cleaning tomorrow he could cry. He is just so tired. He feels like he could sleep for days. They walk up the stairs together, Harry’s limbs heavy with exhaustion. He briefly wonders why on earth they thought buying a house with stairs was ever a good idea in the first place. By the time they make it to the top, his eyes are drooping again. He doesn't even think he has the energy to undress himself at this point. 

As if reading his mind, Louis’ hands go to the bottom of his sweater, prompting Harry to lift his arms as Louis’ pulls it off him, the smaller man going up on his tiptoes to get it completely off. He then unbuttons his jeans, pulling them down to his knees. Once they are at Harry’s knees, he pushes Harry so he is sitting on the bed. He then removes the jeans the rest of the way, along with his socks. Chill bumps bloom all over Harry’s body at the sudden chill, but he is so happy to be out of the constrictive clothing. He hates clothes anyway, and lately they have just been feeling like they are smothering him. 

Louis unfolds the comforter and the sheets on Harry’s side of the bed then helps Harry into place, tucking him under the cool covers. Harry watches with sleepy eyes as Louis quickly undresses himself and turns off the lights, plunging the room in total darkness. He feels it when Louis lifts the sheets on the other side of the bed, sliding between the covers. His hands quickly find Harry, pulling him close and spooning him from behind. One arm is resting under Harry’s head, the other snaked around his waist, rubbing his bump. 

“I’m glad that went so well.” Harry’s voice is thick from exhaustion. Louis pauses his gentle stroking for a split second before he picks back up, probably surprised to hear Harry speaking. 

“Me too. I wasn’t too worried, but I’m glad they all seemed happy.” Louis’ breath tickles Harry’s neck as he talks into the darkness. 

“Oh yeah.” Harry smiles, letting the sound of Louis voice lull him to sleep. 

“What?” 

“We won,” Harry gloats with a smile, the words laced with amusement. 

“Shut up and go to sleep Harold.” Louis chuckles, pretending to be mad. 

“I love you, Lou.” 

“I love you, too.” Louis’ softly whispered words are the last thing he hears as he drifts to sleep. 

 

___________

 

“Amazing news!” Louis exclaims, barging through the front door, huge smile on his face. He takes in Harry’s startled expression, who is still on the couch computer propped up on slowly disappearing lap. He is eating an egg salad and potato chip sandwich, his newest obsession. He eats like one a day. They always have eggs on standby. Louis thinks it’s a bit weird, but doesn’t say anything as long Harry is happy and doesn’t puke it up. 

“You’re home early,” Harry observes, eyes wide at his husband’s arrival. 

“Yeah. Part of the amazing news.”

“Well what is it? You’re killing me, Lou,” Harry asks around his last bite of sandwich. 

“I am done with the project at work! Finally! Niall and I just finished presenting it to the client and the board. Everyone was so pleased with the final result, my supervisor told me to go home early. We did it, Baby!” Louis exclaims, bobbing up and down on his tiptoes trying to contain his excitement. 

“Oh my God, Lou. I’m so proud of you!” Harry cries, pushing his computer from his lap and getting off the couch. It takes him a minute to do the latter, having to accommodate his growing bump. Once he is finally off the couch, in three long strides, Louis is wrapped tightly in his arms, Harry’s face buried in the crook of Louis’ neck.  Louis’ arms come around Harry’s waist, gripping him tightly. He has missed his husband from long hours at the office. He is relieved to finally be done and excited to hopefully spend a little extra time with Harry before their lives change forever. 

“Thanks, love. I’m just happy it’s over.” Louis sighs, then takes in Harry’s scent loving the familiarity of it all. He could hug him forever, especially since his bump is currently pressing into Louis’ own stomach.

“We should celebrate!” Harry says, finally pulling away and kissing Louis’ lips. 

“Yeah. That would be amazing. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a proper date. Maybe dinner and a movie?” Louis asks, looking into his husband’s eyes. Harry looks happy with the proposition, eyes shining and smiling so wide, both dimples are popping. 

“I’d love that, but first, we have to post the announcement on social media. It’s been almost a week since we told our families, and it is starting to get more difficult to hide this,” Harry gestures at his midsection, “from my colleagues at work.” 

“Yeah. I had been so busy, I almost forgot that we haven't announced it to the general public yet,” Louis replies following Harry to the sofa, helping Harry sit down first then plopping down beside him.

“Oh I forgot to tell you. I had a meeting with my boss today and told her about my pregnancy. I thought she needed to know before everyone else, you know? Anyways, she is happy for me and understands it is a high risk situation. She said I can work as many days from home as I want. We also discussed pregnancy leave. I’m glad she is happy, not everyone’s boss is so understanding I guess,” Harry tells his husband. 

“That’s great, love. I’m so glad it went well. I know you were nervous about telling her,” Louis replies rubbing Harry’s shoulder then pulling him close to kiss his cheek then his temple. Harry pulls away then brings the computer into his lap. He brings up his social media accounts and makes the post quickly tagging Louis, so Louis won't have to do it on his own. 

They look at each other one last time, Harry taking a deep breath then hitting the post icon, letting everyone know their news. Something about the whole thing seems final and real. Louis knows that it has been real for a while, but now everyone will know. It’s a lot. They watch as the likes, favorites, and comments start piling in, their phones going off with constant notifications. They decide to ignore everyone for a while. Harry shuts the the laptop and pushes it to the side. 

Louis watches as Harry lifts his shirt, scratching the taut skin. He has been complaining about the area itching lately. “Want me to put some lotion on you?” Louis asks, gesturing towards Harry’s stomach. “Yes please. I’d like that very much. The stretch mark lotion I got is upstairs,” Harry tells him. Louis smiles then runs up the stairs to retrieve the lotion. When he comes back down, Harry has his shirt completely off and his pants unbuttoned, rounded tummy on full display. 

Louis gets on his knees on the floor, kneeling in front of Harry. He kisses the skin first, Harry smiling down at him. He pumps some lotion into his hands, and rubs them together hoping to warm the substance up a bit. He then gently begins rubbing the lotion into Harry’s stretched skin. 

“Mmm, feels good.” Harry’s eyes are closed and his head is lolled back. He looks relaxed and content as Louis works the lotion in. Louis can’t wait to be able to feel the movements. Harry’s tattoos are beginning to stretch, and very light stretch marks are beginning to form. Louis is silently hoping that Harry is one of those lucky few that doesn't really get a ton of stretch marks. He doesn’t mind them, thinks they are beautiful, but he doesn't want Harry to feel insecure. 

“All done,” Louis says. Harry’s eyes slowly open to meet his gaze, smiling slightly. 

“Thanks, Lou. That feels so much better,” Harry responds moving to put on his shirt. 

“Don’t.” Louis stills Harry’s hand. “You look lovely. Don’t ever feel the need to cover up around me. Ever.”

“Oh--okay,” Harry stammers, looking down. Louis lifts up, places both hands on either of Harry’s knees and kisses him gently, wanting Harry to believe his words. He then silently gets up to sit beside Harry, bringing a throw blanket over them. He cuddles Harry close, both rubbing his tummy.  They turn the TV on, and cuddle on the couch for a little while, just enjoying each other’s company until it’s time to get ready for Louis’ celebration dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments are always welcome!  
> Follow me on my social media for updates or just to chat xx  
> Twitter: @Wicked_Archer  
> Tumblr: wicked-archer


	5. Sweet Pea

“Okay, Harry, jump up on the table and pull your shirt up, you know the drill.” Piper smiles as Harry does as he is told, Louis now helping him do so, since he has more weight on his front to balance. Louis is waiting not so patiently for them to perform the ultrasound, tapping his foot nervously. He doesn't think he will ever not be nervous for this, knowing that Harry is pregnant with triplets, it’s hard to convince himself that they are all okay. Harry seems to be in the same boat, fiddling with his rings and biting his lip, a sure sign he is anxious about something. Louis rubs his fingers along Harry’s knuckle, trying to comfort him in some way. Louis hates seeing Harry so upset.

“Good Morning,” Dr. Burns greets, walking into the room and smiling at the couple. 

“Morning.” Both Harry and Louis reply in tandem, sharing a fond smile despite their apprehension over the appointment. The room is heavy with tension. Louis rubs Harry’s stomach, curving his palm over the bottom just above the waistline of his low rise jeans. He loves the feel of it under his hands. He traces the stretched laurell tattoo on his right hip for just a moment before he snaps his attention back up to their doctor. 

“Your vitals all look great Harry. I am pleased to see that your blood pressure isn’t high and your blood work is normal, nothing to indicate Gestational Diabetes,” Dr. Burns informs them. Louis and Harry both smile at the news, letting out audible sighs of relief. Louis knows his husband is healthy, far healthier than even himself. Louis plays soccer as a form of workout, but he eats pretty much whatever he wants. Harry is always watching what he eats, believing his body to be a temple or some shit like that. Louis would never understand it, but right now he is so thankful. Maybe that fact will allow this high risk pregnancy to go by smoothly. She pulls out a tape measure and holds it along Harry’s curved stomach, smiling when Louis quickly removes his hand. “You are also measuring perfectly.” 

“Good. I have been trying to stay healthy, eating healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, and walking as much as possible. I am thinking about trying some prenatal yoga soon.” Louis rolls his eyes, but Harry doesn’t see, thank sweet baby Jesus. Harry has been doing yoga for a few years now, but this time he has been on Louis to do with with him, claiming it would be a great ‘bonding’ experience for Louis, Harry, and their unborn children. Bonding experience Louis’ ass. Harry just wants to see his pert bum in yoga pants. Though Louis will admit, albeit secretly, he loves watching Harry do the posses in his skin tight yoga pants, oftentimes shirtless. He also can’t deny loving the flexibility Harry has in the bedroom because of it. 

“I think that’s an excellent idea. Now let’s take a look at those babies, shall we?” She asks, walking over to the machine and nodding at Piper who flicks the switch to turn it on. 

“This is going to be cold,” Piper warns, barely giving Harry a moment to brace himself before she squirts the cool gel on his protruding abdomen. He squeezes Louis’ hand tightly at the onslaught, but doesn't show any other physical discomforts. Louis pats his thigh, noticing how tight his jeans are getting. He makes a mental note to take Harry shopping for pregnancy clothes very soon. 

Piper takes the wand and begins moving it around the the area. “Okay, so here we are. Right here is the leg of Baby A, here is it’s arm and head. Here is Baby B. You can clearly make its head and arms right here. The over here,” she points at the screen indicating the body parts, then moves the wand a little, “is Baby C.” Louis is amazed. The grainy image clearly depicts the babies moving around inside Harry. He looks closer, almost in awe of everything. Those are his babies. A little bit of him and a little bit of Harry put together to make one tiny human. He already loves them, and he hasn’t even met them yet. It should be strange, but it’s not. It feels as normal as breathing air. 

Dr. Burns clicks in a few different places on the screen. “They all have very strong heartbeats, and are measuring in the normal range for triplets, which is a bit on the smaller size for a single baby. They are all about the size of a peach now, but get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, you will see them start to grow faster, doubling in size. Harry you will also start to feel movement, most people think it is gas at first. They can also hear the sound of your voice.”

“When will I be able to feel them kick?” Louis asks the question that has been on the tip of his tongue throughout the whole appointment. 

“Unfortunately, partners usually won’t start feeling the baby, or babies in your case, kick until week 20. They are usually strong enough around that time. I’m sorry it’s not sooner,” Dr. Burns answers apologetically. Louis’ heart drops because he was really hoping he would be able to experience it when Harry first does. Another month won’t kill him though, and he is happy that Harry gets to experience it first, although somewhat jealous. It’s only fair though, since it’s Harry’s body that is going through all of this. 

“Would you like to know the sex? They are all in great positions, allowing us to see,” Piper pipes in, moving the wand around and smiling at the screen. 

“Actually. Could you umm-- write it on a piece of paper? We are doing a Halloween themed sex reveal party, but we want to be surprised, too. Our friends are going to create the surprise for us,” Harry explains, his speech slow and methodical, like he is thinking about every single word before it slips out of his mouth. Louis loves that about him. He could listen to Harry speak for hours and not get bored. It is really a direct contrast to how quickly Louis speaks, getting several sentences out in one breath. 

“Of course. We do that all the time. Let me print off some pictures for you.” Piper clicks a few buttons then turns off the machine, handing Harry some paper towels, then exits the room. Louis helps him clean up, then sit up. It is getting harder and harder for Harry to get into a sitting position from his back. Louis ordered him a pregnancy pillow recently, Harry’s back already beginning to hurt from the added weight. He hopes it will alleviate some of the pressure. 

“Everything looks great. Our next appointment will be at the beginning of your third trimester after which, I would like to start seeing you every 5 weeks until you give birth, maybe even weekly after a certain point. Next time I see you, I would like for you to have a birth plan.” Harry and Louis both nod in understanding. “Any questions for me?” 

“Don’t think so.” Louis says at the same time Harry asks. 

“What kind of symptoms will I need to be on the lookout for in the upcoming weeks? I’ve read a lot, but I just want to know what’s normal.” Harry isn’t lying when he says he has read a lot. Louis has watched him devour book after book, soaking up the information like a sponge. He even forced Louis to read one specifically tailored to people who were expecting multiple babies. Louis hasn’t finished it yet, but so far it has been very informative. He may finish it before Harry devilvers. Maybe. 

“Well frequent urination, which I am sure you are have been experiencing for a while now.” Louis can’t suppress his snort. If he had a dollar for everytime his husband needed to pee in the last week alone, he would probably be able to send all three of his future children to college. Harry glares at him. “Backache. Sore chest. Itchy skin. Constipation. Your hair and nails may grow faster while your skin may be clearer.” She lists, counting the symptoms off on her manicured fingers. 

“Okay. I am already experiencing a lot of that now, so it’s good to know that it is all normal. Thank you.” 

“You’re very welcome,” Dr. Burns says just as Piper comes back into the room. She is holding the sonogram pictures and a brown envelope in her hand. 

“Here you go. The brown envelope contains the sex of each baby. Try not to peek,” Piper explains with a wink then handing the items to Louis. He immediately tucks the envelope into his back pocket, trying to take away the temptation. He feels so much better now that the doctor has confirmed everything is on track. They leave the office smiling. They somehow don’t look at the results before Niall and Liam drop by, taking the envelope to prepare for the sex reveal next weekend. 

 

_________

 

“Ready?” Gemma asks kneeling in front of Harry’s stomach, paint brush poised in her right hand. 

“Yes!” Harry replies, excitement evident from his movement. He repositions himself, arms already starting to tire from holding himself up. His back has been hurting most of the day, so he has spent it in bed, with his new pregnancy pillow, relaxing. Louis must love him a lot because he has been waiting on him hand and foot, insisting he needs to store his energy for their party. 

“Haz. You gotta stay still. I don’t wanna fuck this up,” Gemma replies, poking out her tongue in concentration. He makes a point to stay very still as she smears the gold paint across ins abdomen, starting by covering his butterfly. The poor thing is already starting to stretch out. His skin feels itchy but he suppresses the urge to scratch it knowing full well that he wouldn’t be able to all night or ruin the painting his sister is currently working so hard on. He is already dressed in black leggings, and a black long sleeved shirt with the stomach cut out. His hair is down and curling on his shoulders. Harry is holding his phone in his left hand for her to use as a reference. 

“I’m just really excited Gems. I can’t wait to know what we are having.” 

“I’m excited, too. I can’t believe my baby brother is pregnant. Before me no less. Bastard,” She laughs, dipping into some more gold paint. 

“Well get to working on it,” Harry chuckles. 

“What do you think I’m doing with Niall?” Gemma asks smirking. Ugh! Why did she have to go and say that?  

“Eww.” Harry scrunches his face up in disgust. “Umm… how’s that going anyways?” Harry finally asks, his curiosity getting the better of him. 

“Great. We’ve gone on a date since then and hung out. Nothing serious though,” she responds, dipping her brush into some black paint now. Harry watches her curiously, waiting for her to go on. He knows she has more to say. Finally, she sighs and looks up, meeting his eye. “I really like him, H.” 

Harry sighs, as well. He can’t believe he is going to say this. “I think he likes you, too. Niall is a good guy. You should go for it. I think you would be great together. For what it’s worth, you umm--- you have my blessing.” 

“Really? Oh, Harry, thank you” The words are dripping with sarcasm. Fuck, Gemma has been around Louis far too much in the past several years. She adds, “Not that I needed your fucking blessing to date a guy, but it means a lot that you’re supportive. I don’t want to put you or Lou in an awkward position. I would hug you, but that would mess this masterpiece that I have created up, and we can't have that.” Gemma gestures towards his painted stomach, the liquid still tacky. It looks like she is almost done though. 

“I know you don’t need my blessing,” Harry says rolling his eyes. “I just want you to know that I support your relationship, or whatever it is, that’s all.” 

“Thank you,” Gemma replies. 

“Can we pause? I really need to pee,” Harry asks, shooting his sister a pleading look. The urge came out of nowhere, but most of them have lately. He assumes that one of his growing babies is just using his bladder for a pillow. 

“Fine, but hurry the fuck up, I’m not done yet. Don’t mess up the paint,” She sighs with a smile. 

“Hey watch your mouth, they can hear you,” he tells her, getting up from the bed, just barely, and pointing threateningly at her. 

“Oh please. You are married to Louis-king-of-cursing- Tomlinson. That man invented some swear words, I tell you. Their first word will probably be ‘fuck’ in fact, one may come out screaming ‘shit’ instead of just screaming.” She chuckles. Harry laughs as well because, well, she isn’t wrong. He rolls his eyes then goes into the ensuite to do his business. He finishes up, washes his hands, and returns to his position on the bed. The paint looked mostly dry now. 

“Good now?” Gemma asks, kneeling again at the edge of the bed between his legs. At Harry’s nod, she continues her task. Harry watches as she carefully glues the white wings to either side of his bump, then paints around them, finishing her work. She gets up and  steps back and takes a look, admiring it for a few seconds. “I think you’re done! Be careful though, it’s not all the way dry yet around the wings. Give it another few minutes.” 

“About done?” Louis asks smiling when he notices Harry’s painted belly. 

“Yup. Just finished. Liam and Niall done setting up?” Gemma asks, turning her attention to Louis. “You look great by the way.” 

“Yeah. They are finishing up now. People should start showing up soon,” Louis says glancing at the clock on the bedside table. 

“Help me up, Lou.” Harry makes grabby hands towards his husband. He could do it himself, but he would risk messing up the paint, then Gemma would murder him. Well she may wait until after he gives birth, so he would have 5 months, tops. To be honest, he kinda likes it when Louis helps him do stuff. It’s nice feeling taken care of, and Louis never ceases to make him feel that way. Louis smiles and walks over, grasping Harry’s hands and pulling him up. He kisses him chastely on the lips. They walk over to the full length mirror to admire their costumes. 

Harry gasp when he sees them together because it is just so darn cute. Louis is dressed as Harry Potter in full on Quidditch robes with goggles, a lightning bolt scar, gloves, and temporarily dyed black hair. He is holding a small broom in his right hand. Harry’s stomach is painted to look like the Golden Snitch, wings protruding from the side. They look amazing stood beside each other. Louis beams at him, taking his hand. 

“Looks great guys. You two are so cute, it’s disgusting really,” Gemma says, rolling her eyes but smiling at the pair. Louis flips her off while Harry goes for a more mature approach, sticking his tongue out. 

“She’s right. It is slightly disgusting,” Niall agrees waltzing into the room draping an arm around Gemma’s shoulder. Liam follows him in, making the room feel small and far too crowded. 

“We’re done. Everything is ready to go,” Liam tells them, smiling at Harry and Louis’ costume. Liam is dressed as Batman, of course. He says Sophia will be dressing as Catwoman and Jameson as the Joker.. Niall and Gemma decided not to do a couples costume, thank God because eww. Niall is wearing his normal clothes with a sticker that reads “I Am God” on his t-shirt. In other words, he cheated. Gemma is dressed as Daphne from Scooby Doo, complete with a red wig and purple eyeshadow. 

“Awesome,” Louis responds.

“How ya feeling, H?” Niall asks, looking Harry up and down. Harry has been asked that question a lot lately. It is beginning to get kind of annoying. He knows that it just shows he has people who care about him. At first, he just answered with a ‘great’ or ‘fine’, but now he goes a more truthful route. 

“My back has been aching all day, and I have to pee every 7 minutes because one of theses lovely children has decided my bladder makes the best place to nap,” he answers smiling at Niall’s surprised expression. He doesn’t get a chance to respond because the doorbell rings breaking the conversation. They all go down the stairs to greet the arriving guests. In a matter of half an hour, their house is full of family and friends. Several people from both Harry and Louis’ workplace have shown up, all dressed in a creative costume. They all talk amongst themselves, eating the Halloween themed food set out before them. 

“Alright everyone!” Niall shouts, effectively gaining the group’s attention. “We are going to go outside to reveal the sex of the babies. Please do not stand in front of me, since I will be filming. I will cut you.” Everyone laughs at Niall’s joke. They all follow him and Liam outside, Harry and Louis taking the lead. In the backyard, there is a long table set up. The table cloth reads ‘Witch or Wizard?’ with various Harry Potter themed shapes and designs around it including: round framed glasses, a lightning bolt, a deathly hallows symbol, and owl, a witch’s hat ,and the list goes on. On top of the table are three large black cauldrons. Liam and Niall even went as far as to put an old book beside them and set up vials around them with various colored liquid inside as props. It is all so creative and lovely really. Harry wants to cry. 

“This is amazing guys.” Louis voices Harry’s sentiment. “Thank you!” Louis and Harry both hug their friends, touched by the small details they put into it in order to make the whole thing look more authentic. 

“Alright. Listen up everyone. Per Harry’s request, we will not be doing pink for a girl and blue for a boy. Instead, it will be orange for a girl and black for a boy,” Niall yells. Everyone nods their head in understanding. Liam nods, prompting Harry and Louis walk up to the table standing directly behind the first cauldron. 

“You good, Ni?” Louis asks, nodding when Niall gives him a thumbs up, phone directly in front of his face, not missing a moment. 

Harry looks at Louis and smiles. They both pick up the provided long-reach lighter, painted to look like a wand, of course. Louis’ hand wraps around Harry’s, providing warmth during the cool October evening. Harry uses one finger to light then end, then they both take it to the smoke bomb in the bottom of the cauldron effectively lighting the wick. Once it’s lit, they quickly pull their hands away, stepping back to watch orange smoke erupt from the cauldron. A wide smile takes over Harry’s face, Louis kissing him despite it. One is a girl. Holy shit. They are going to have a little girl. 

Next they slowly and carefully light the second smoke bomb in the next cauldron, black smoke erupting immediately. They will have a boy and a girl. This is all becoming so very very real. Harry kisses Louis, ecstatic to have both. Holding hands, they slowly make their way behind the third one. Harry realizes that this one is going to be the identical twin to one of the other babies. ‘Ready’ Louis mouths. At Harry’s nod, Louis winks then they both pick up the lighter, slowly, for dramatic effect, lighting the smoke bomb inside. Harry holds his breath as the step back, watching as orange smoke emerges from the cauldron. Another girl. Holy shit. Two girls and a boy. Harry doesn’t stop the tears as they stream down his face; his heart feeling so full of love for their babies already. 

“Oh baby, don’t cry,” Louis shushes, hugging Harry tightly, painted stomach be damned. 

“These are happy tears,” Harry sniffles. Louis’ blue eyes are also suspiciously wet. Harry is just so happy, he feels he may burst with it. 

“For those of you who may the color blind, we are having identical twin girls and a little boy!” Louis yells and the whole group erupts in cheers. The rest of the night goes by in a blur of congratulations, pats on the back, and lots and lots of pictures. Harry’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much, but he honestly wouldn't have it any other way. 

 

__________

 

“Mr. Tomlinson?” 

“Rose. You can call me Louis. In fact, please call me Louis.” Louis looks up from his desk to see his supervisor’s assistant standing in his doorway. He has told her to call him by his first name since day one, but she always ends up at Mr. Tomlinson. He hates that. 

“Sorry. Mr. Hetfield would like to see you in his office.” Louis’ stomach drops. He can feel himself sweating beneath the layer of his dress clothes. It is never a good thing when Mr. Hetfield wants you in his office. The man is intimidating, to say the least. 

“Okay,” Louis says, then stands up from his desk, straightening his back. As he follows Rose to Mr. Hetfield's office, all different sorts of scenarios are running through his mind. He tries to think of reasons for his supervisor to be angry at him, but he comes up with nothing. He thinks he is happy with his performance thus far. Maybe it’s about the babies and the fact that Louis will be wanting to take some leave when their born. He starts feeling sick just thinking about the conversation. He knows he will stand up to his boss, but he also doesn’t want to get fired. Mr. Hetfield, unlike Harry’s supervisor, is not a very understanding man. He has a mind for business and three failed marriages to show for it. Louis can feel his heart rate rising the closer he gets to to the office on the top floor of the building. 

“Mr. Hetfield?” Rose says into the phone speaker located on her desk. 

“Yes, Rose?” Comes Mr. Hetfield’s gruff voice. 

“I have brought Mr. Tomlinson like you asked.”

“Good. Good. Send him in.” 

“You can go ahead,” Rose gives Louis a reassuring smile, maybe sensing his fear, as he walks to Mr. Hetfield's office door. He reaches one shaking hand out to grasp the handle, turning the knob slowly. With one last deep breath, he straightens his spine and enters the office. 

“Louis! Come in! Come in! Have a seat!” Mr. Hetfield greets as soon as he sees Louis in the doorway. He has a smile on his face, so Louis is slightly relieved however the man may just enjoy firing people. It could put a smile on his face. Who knows really? 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Hetfield,” Louis says with a tight smile and walks the rest of the way into the room, sitting down on the soft leather seat across from his desk. Jesus the desk probably cost more than all of Louis’ furniture in his office combined. 

“Louis, do you know why I brought you in here today?” 

“To fire me because my husband’s pregnant, and I will need to take leave soon?” Louis asks before his brain gets a chance to stop his tongue. The words come out sarcastically, of course. Louis grimaces waiting for Mr. Hetfield to start yelling at his insubordination. Instead, Mr. Hetfield, to Louis complete and utter fucking shock, starts laughing. At the loud belly laughs erupting from the other man, Louis doesn’t even try to hide the shocked look on his face. He doesn’t think he has ever witnessed Mr. Hetfield laughing unless it was a fake laugh he does in meetings. 

“You’re funny. I like that. I like you. Which is why I brought you in here. The reason is actually the opposite of dismissal,” Mr. Hetfield starts, after calming down a bit. Louis holds his breath. This is it. The moment he has been working towards since he started college even. “I just had a meeting with the board, and we are very impressed with your performance for the company thus far. Even though you are young, we would like to promote you to Creative Director. You will have your own team and a new, much larger, office on the 7th floor. Please send an email to Rose with the names of the people you will like on your team. I am assuming Mr. Horan will be one of them.” Louis nods dumbly, not being able to quite believe the words coming out of Mr. Hetfield’s mouth.

“Good. Good. You two work great together. Congratulations and good work. We would like to keep you with the company for as long as possible. I will have Rose call movers to have your stuff from your old office moved by the end of the week.” 

“Thank you.” Louis finally finds his voice. Fuck. He can’t wait to get home and tell Harry. He can’t even believe this is happening. Holy shit. 

“Don’t thank me. You earned this Louis. Also, congratulations on your husband’s pregnancy. Triplets I hear. You’re gonna have your hands full, so take as much time as you need, paid of course, when the time comes.  You may even be able to do some stuff from home,” Mr. Hetfield smiles, and maybe the bastard does have heart after all. 

“Thank you. Yeah, it’s a big change, but we are both excited. It is such a relief to know that it won’t be an issue to take some time off after they are born to help him. I appreciate it, sir.” Louis follows Mr. Hetfield’s lead and stands up, shaking his hand enthusiastically. 

“Take the rest of the afternoon off, you deserve it. Go home and be with your husband. Celebrate. Have a good night, Louis. I am so glad you accepted this offer.” Mr. Hetfield then pats Louis harshly on the back, almost knocking the smaller man over. 

“Thank you, sir. Have a good evening.” With that, Louis practically runs out of the office, entire body strumming with excitement. He can’t wait to get home and tell Harry. He almost detours to Niall’s office first, but decides against it, wanting Harry to be the first to know. He would call Niall later, or something. He goes to the parking garage, then drives home, singing happily along to the radio, tapping his fingers in excitement. He opens the door, and quickly toes off his shoes, looking around for Harry before he remembers Harry had texted him an hour ago saying that he just got home from work and was going to nap. 

“Lou? Is that you? Lou! Come quick!” Harry yells from up stairs. All the excitement for his conversation with Mr. Hetfield leaves his body and is quickly replaced with cold dread, ice filling his veins. Louis’ heart begins racing as he runs up the stairs, two at a time. Is something wrong with Harry? Their babies? Fuck, he may have to take them to the hospital or something. What if they all die? He can’t do that. He can’t even consider that possibility. He rushes into the bedroom, cheeks red and hair messy thoughts spiraling out of control. 

“What? What’s wrong? Are you okay? Is it the babies?” Louis asks all of the questions in one breath, which he has very little of since he just ran up the stairs. Harry is propped on his pregnancy pillow, shirtless, with the blankets pooled around his waist. He has both hands resting on his rounded stomach, expression of awe on his beautiful face.

“I felt them move!” Harry smiles at Louis, dimples popping. Relief floods through Louis like a cool drink on a hot day. Harry is okay. The babies are okay. 

“Jesus, Baby. You’ve gotta stop doing that. You fucking scared the piss out of me,” Louis says bending over at the waist to catch his breath. 

“I’m sorry,” Harry mumbles. “I just got excited. I didn’t mean to scare you again.” 

“I know, love.” Louis makes his way over to the bed, laying down beside his husband. He momentarily forgets he has news to share in the excitement of the moment. Harry takes on of Louis’ hands and places it on the same spot his was moments before. Louis holds his breath, playing close attention to any movements under the taut skin. Nothing. Disappointment settles in his stomach. He knows the doctor said he wouldn't be able to feel them for a few weeks, but had been hopeful. 

“You can’t feel them can you?” Harry asks, seeing the disappointment all over his husband’s face. Louis shakes his head, trying not to pout. “Oh, love. I’m sorry. They stopped moving though. I’m sure you will be able to feel them soon.” Harry rearranges himself to face Louis, cuddling closer and kissing his pouty lips. 

“Yeah. Maybe.” 

“Wait. You’re home really early,” Harry notices glancing at the clock. Suddenly Louis’ excitement is back as he remembers his good news. 

“Oh yeah! I got off early. Mr. Hetfield offered me the promotion. You are now married to a Creative Director!” Louis announces, smiling so wide his eyes are wrinkling at the corners. 

“Oh my God, Lou! Really?!? Holy shit. Congratulations, love. I am so fucking proud of you. We should celebrate, again. This is fucking amazing.” Harry exclaims, sitting up a bit more and launching himself into Louis arms, peppering kisses all over his face. Louis laughs, letting his happiness burst out of him. 

“Yes, really, and we should celebrate,” Louis says, his voice going husky in Harry’s ear. Harry’s stomach has been rubbing against his cock, making all of his blood rush south.  

“Oh, and how were you thinking we should do that.” Harry smirks, pushing his finger between buttons of Louis’ dress shirt, resting it on his undershirt. 

Louis answers by kissing Harry soundly on the lips. He licks the seam of Harry’s mouth, Harry granting his tongue entrance almost immediately. Harry’s nimble fingers begin to unbutton Louis’ shirt, untucking it from his slacks. Louis doesn't break their kiss when he sits up, allowing Harry to pull the material from his arms then his undershirt over his head. Harry’s warm hands instantly find Louis’ chest, running his long fingers though the small smattering of hair between his pecs. 

“Fuck,” Louis moans out, placing his hands on either side of Harry’s now very prominent bump. He loves Harry’s changing body so much, just the feeling of it goes straight to his cock, bringing him to full hardness. 

“Mmhmm.” Harry hums into his mouth, tracing his fingers down Louis’ chest, finding the button of his slacks and popping it. “Wanna suck you.” 

“Okay,” Louis replies getting off the bed and removing all of his clothes. He goes to lay down again then pauses, thinking for a second. 

“What?” Harry asks, dark brows drawn in confusion. 

Louis tries to think of a delicate way to bring this up without upsetting his husband. He decides to just go for it. “Well, you can’t lay on your stomach between my legs like normal, and I don’t want you kneeling on the floor.”

“Oh,” Harry responds realizing what Louis is saying. Louis can see Harry beginning to get upset. He probably thinks Louis hates his body or something. Suddenly an idea strikes Louis that just may work. 

“I’ve got an idea. Sit up on the bed and get comfortable.” Harry shoots him a confused look, but does as he is told, repositioning himself against the headboard, body pillow wrapped around him, offering support and comfort. Louis studies his placement for a moment, thinking logistics. It is going to be odd and require a shit on of balance on his part, but it just may work. Louis slowly gets on the bed, crawling towards his husband on his hands and knees. Once he is by his side, he carefully gets to his feet, taking a second to find his balance on the squishy surface of the bed. 

Harry’s green eyes widen once he figures out what Louis intends. He reaches out a hand offering Louis some much needed support as Louis very carefully brings one leg over Harry, resting his foot firmly on the other side of his hip, effectively straddling his husband. He holds both of Harry’s hands for balance as he slowly walks his way closer to the headboard, bringing his cock directly in front of Harry’s face. Harry smiles up at Louis, probably realizing that this could work, as long as Louis keeps his balance and doesn’t fall and hurt himself or Harry in the process. Louis slowly releases Harry’s hands, placing one against the wall and the other on the headboard, getting his balance once more. 

Harry looks up at him one last time, small smile playing on his face as he brings on hand up to cup Louis’ balls. Louis hisses in a breath at the contact. Harry then very slowly peeks his tongue out from his red lips to kitten lick the slit. Fuck. Louis wants more, but it seems his husband is in a teasing mood. Louis grips the headboard, telling himself not to grasp Harry’s head and just fuck into his throat. Without touching his cock with his hands, Harry circles the head with a warm, wet tongue. Louis groans out, running blunt nails against the wall.

He looks down at his husband, watching with dark eyes as one of Harry’s own hands snakes down his torso. “Don’t touch yourself, yet, baby. Don’t want you to come,” Louis commands, voice rough with arousal. Harry nods, bringing his hand back up to stroke Louis’ length, continuing to tease the head with his tongue. Fuck. It all feels so good. Louis already feels like he is on the edge. Harry then looks up with wide dark eyes, slowly opens his mouth, keeping eye contact, and sinks down on Louis’ cock. Louis growls at the sight, almost coming right then and there. Harry flattens his tongue and begins bobbing his head up and down. Louis needs to distract himself or this is going to be over too quickly. 

“Fuck. You suck my cock so well, baby. I love it when you suck me off. Your mouth was made for it,” Louis speaks, bringing one hand to feel around Harry’s mouth, his cheeks hollowed out, making Louis groan. Harry nods, eyes never leaving Louis. 

“I could come just like this, your lips wrapped around me,” Louis says, feeling Harry’s spit trail down his shaft and onto his balls. 

“But I’m not gonna. I wanna come in that pretty little ass of yours. I’m gonna open you up on your hands and knees then fuck you,” Louis tells him, Harry nodding in agreement, never releasing his hold. Fuck, Louis is getting close. Too close. He needs Harry to stop, so he pulls his hips away, Harry goes with the movement until Louis’ cock pulls out of his mouth with a wet pop, saliva connecting the two for a moment before it breaks. Harry whimpers. 

Louis carefully maneuvers away from Harry and hops off the bed, cock bobbing with his landing. “Hands and knees baby.” Louis circles one finger in the air, prompting Harry to turn over, using the pregnancy pillow for support to get into position, spreading his legs wide. Louis grabs the lube and walks around the bed, admiring the view. He can see Harry’s rounded tummy though the V of his widened legs. It’s sexier than it should be. Louis gets on the bed between Harry’s legs and trails a dry finger down his crack, prompting Harry to moan. 

He then pops the cap to the lube, rubbing a bit between his fingers before push one past Harry’s rim. He is already still kind of loose from their sexual activities of last night, making the glide easier. Harry’s responding moan is muffled by the pillow. Louis is quick to add a second then third finger, opening Harry up. Harry is now squirming beneath him, moaning and whining, telling Louis to fuck him. 

“Okay,” Louis says, pulling out his fingers and wiping them on the sheet. He holds both of Harry’s hips as he lines himself up, sinking into Harry’s heat slowly. He gives Harry a moment to adjust before he begins pumping his hips in and out, finding a steady rhythm. 

“Stop. Stop,” Harry says, sounding almost like he is in pain. Louis freezes, so scared that he had hurt Harry or their babies. Panic rises in his throat, feeling as if it choking him. 

“What is it? What’s wrong? Oh, God, Baby, did I hurt you?” Louis asks, gritting his teeth at the need to move, Harry’s warm heat feeling as if it is sucking him in. 

“I-- I can’t hold myself up any more. It’s too uncomfortable,” Harry tells him, voice muffled by the pillow. Louis slowly pulls out, guiding his husbands hips until Harry is resting on his side. His cock is so hard it’s painful, but he ignores it, instead concentrating on his husband who still has his face buried in the pillow, sniffling. 

“Baby, don’t cry,” Louis soothes, carding his fingers through Harry’s curls. 

“I--I’m sorry. It felt so good, too, I promise. I just--- I just couldn’t hold myself up anymore,” Harry cries, gripping the now wet pillow tighter. 

“Don’t be sorry. It’s okay. We knew we may have to evaluate positions as you got bigger. It’s no big deal, love. I promise, I’m not mad or upset or anything.” Louis rubs a hand down Harry’s back, hoping to help calm him down. 

“Really?” Harry questions finally looking at him with wet eyes. 

“Yes, really. Umm.. Why don’t you ride me? How does that sound? That way you can control the pace and you don’t have to worry about really having to hold yourself up,” Louis suggest, his throbbing cock reminding him again that he needs to come. He is sure Harry feels the same, he can see his is clearly red and angry. 

“Can’t,” Harry sobs, hiding his face in the pillow again. 

Louis is now thoroughly confused. He thinks about what he just said and draws a blank on how it could have upset Harry again. “Why not?” He finally asks, at a loss. 

“Because I will crush you. I’m fat, Lou. I will crush you if I ride you.” Harry’s low answer is muffled even more by the object in front of his face. Louis has to lean in to even hear him. He still isn't’ sure he has heard him correctly. Harry thinks he’s fat? What the fuck. Harry has never had body images issues, he doesn't even know where this is coming from. Then again, thinking back, Harry has been acting strange about his changing body all week. Wanting to have sex with the lights off, showering alone, putting a shirt on when he sees Louis. He even snapped at Louis the other day when he suggested they need to get Harry some pregnancy clothes. Suddenly it all makes sense, the puzzle pieces clicking into place.

“Baby, look at me,” Louis says quietly, pulling on Harry’s shoulder until he is laying on his back, looking at Louis, eyes brimmed with tears. “You are not fat. Not at all. I don’t want to ever hear you say that again, nor do I want you to feel that way. You are so beautiful to me, baby, please understand that. You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen, even more beautiful with my babies in you.” Louis emphasizes the last part by cupping Harry’s protruding tummy.

“Really?” Harry sniffles, wiping his eyes. 

“Yes, really. In fact, I very much wanna watch you ride my cock like this. It will be so fucking sexy. I’m getting hard again just thinking about it,” Louis tells him, pressing his hardening erection into Harry’s side to show him.  

“Well, I guess we are going to have to do something about that,” Harry says giving Louis a small smile. He turns over on his side, grasping Louis’ cock in one large hand. Louis’ hisses out a breath in surprise, as Harry brings him to full hardness. He pushes Louis on his back, grabs the lube and coats Louis’ cock in the substance. Louis stands himself up as Harry straddles him, slowly sinking down until he is fully seated. 

“Fuck, Lou. Feel so full,” Harry moans out, eyes wide fingers gripping Louis’ pecks. 

“You feel so good baby. So fucking tight,” Louis responds, gripping Harry’s hips. Harry begins moving, keeping everything slow but steady. Louis is slightly propped up on the pillow behind him, getting an amazing view of his pregnant husband riding his cock. Fuck he’s close already. Harry uses his chest as leverage as he begins grinding down, moving his hips back and forth instead of up and down. The up and down movement is probably hard for him, and will tire him out, but Louis isn’t complaining because fuck it feels good. His eyes roll into the back of his head. 

“That’s it baby, ride me,” Louis encourages, moving both hands up to rest on Harry’s swollen stomach, urging them both closer to their release. 

“Fuck, Lou. Right there. So fucking deep. Oh god, that feels so fucking good. Right there,” Harry moans, barely moving his hips, throwing his head back in pleasure. His deep voice has Louis dangerously close, the slow way they are having sex feeling intimate and passionate. 

“Gonna come, baby? Gonna come all over my dick? Come on. Brand me. Wanna see it,” Louis mummers, rubbing his hands all over Harry's abdomen. 

“I’m close. Oh God!” Harry cries out whipping his head back, dark curls flying off his shoulders. His whole body tightens with the force of his orgasm, milking Louis cock of its release. 

“Harry!” Louis cries out as he empties himself into his husband and watches with wide blue eyes as Harry’s cock releases ribbon after ribbon of his come all over his stomach, chest, some even landing on Harry’s bump, the sight making Louis come just a bit more, eyes rolling back in his head with the final spurt. 

“Holy shit.” Louis opens his eyes wide looking at his husband, breathing heavily. 

“Yeah. Sometimes the slow orgasms are the best,” Harry replies, slowly pulling himself off of Louis cock, collapsing on the bed beside Louis, facing him. Louis’ hand quickly finds his bump as he looks over at his husband. Harry looks happy and fucked out, the best look on him if you ask Louis. 

“Congratulations on the promotion. I knew it would happen, though, for the record,” Harry says, wide smile, eyes sparkling. 

“Thank you, baby. I’m glad you had faith.” 

“Always. I will always have faith in you, Lou. Sorry for not telling you how I felt before. I thought I could get past this whole feeling of being insecure. I should have talked to you about it. I didn’t mean to almost ruin the moment or your big day,” Harry admits, eyes cast down. 

“You didn’t ruin anything, baby. I’m glad you did tell me, however, I kind of blame myself.” When Harry goes to protest, Louis places a finger on his lips, effectively stopping the words from escaping. “I just mean I need to tell you more often how lovely you are to me. How sexy you are. You are giving life to our children, Harry, how could I not find that beautiful? Please understand that.” 

“But you do make me feel beautiful and tell me often. I guess I just didn't believe you. You’re my husband you’re supposed to say those things. I will work on believing you though, because you quite obviously do find my changing body sexy. I’m sorry. I love you.” 

“I love you too, Haz. Now let’s get ready and go out to dinner. We’ve got a promotion to celebrate, but first I need to shower. Wanna join me?” Louis ask, looking down at the mess on his torso. 

“Umm.” Harry hesitate, but Louis gives him a pointed look. “Yeah. Okay. I’d love to join you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments are always welcome!  
> Follow me on my social media for updates or just to chat xx  
> Twitter: @Wicked_Archer  
> Tumblr: wicked-archer


	6. Artichoke

“Okay, Lou, we need to discuss a birth plan,” Harry says, watching as Louis expertly maneuvers the vehicle. Watching Louis drive never fails to turn Harry on. The way his small hands grip the wheel. His sweater sleeves are pulled up, displaying his sexy tattooed forearms. Harry needs to stop his train of thought before it completely and utterly fucking derails. Fuck. He’s just been so horny lately. It’s ridiculous really. 

“Okay. You know it’s your choice though, right? You’re the one that is going through it. I mean, I will be there every step of the way, but it isn’t my body.” Louis glances over at him multiple times during his speech, seeming to gage Harry’s reaction.  

“Thank you, but I still want you to know. I’ve done a lot of research...” 

“Shocking,” Louis interrupts with a smirk. 

Ignoring him, Harry continues. “I’ve done a lot of research, and I think that even though I’m having triplets, I want to do it naturally. No drugs. No cesarean. Nothing.” Louis nods along, agreeing with Harry. “I mean, obviously, if something goes wrong then I want them to do the cesarean, but I don’t want to just have it scheduled and stuff. I want them to come into the world as naturally as possible.” 

“Okay. I support your decision,” Louis says taking Harry’s hand and kissing his knuckles. He parks the car and they get out, Harry taking a deep breath before they make their way into the store. They are going pregnancy clothes shopping. Harry has been dreading this, but he has only been wearing leggings for the past month. He really does need them which Louis pointed out this morning, hence why they are currently walking into the store. Harry makes his way towards the male pregnancy section. It’s small, but there are some items. He and Louis begin looking through them.  

“So, I was also considering a water birth. It is supposed to more relaxing for me and natural for the baby. Like it has been in fluid its entire existence, so coming into the world in water helps ease the shock.” Harry begins again, scrunching his nose up at a particularly ugly shirt. 

“This may be a dumb question, but could it, like, drown?” Louis ask, draping some jeans over one arm, then going back in. 

Harry chuckles at the question, but is glad his husband is paying attention. “No. It’s perfectly safe as long as you get the baby out of the water as soon as it’s out,” Harry answers, finding a shirt that he likes, folding it over his arm to try on later. 

“Oh. Okay. Yeah. I could see how it would be relaxing for you too. Will they do that at the  hospital?” 

“Not really, but I’ve been looking into the birthing facility in one of the packets Dr. Burns gave us. She gave us information for both the hospital and birthing facility she practices at. I think I want to do the facility. They allow water births, which is what I want. It also just seems like a better environment. You know how much I hate hospitals,” Harry informs. Louis nods along as they both keep pulling clothes off the rack to inspect. 

“I think that’s enough for now. Let’s go try them on,” Louis suggest nodding his head towards the dressing rooms. 

“Yeah. I don’t want to do this part though,” Harry whines following his husband. 

“I know, but trust me. You will feel better in clothes that actually fit,” Louis reasons looking around for a dressing room attendant. When he finds none, he and Harry choose the largest dressing room and go in, locking the door behind them. They continue their previous conversation as Harry gets undressed. 

“Okay. I think I’m good with you doing this facility. It does sound better than a hospital.” Louis pulls Harry’s sweater up over his head. The dressing room air feeling cool on his skin. 

“It will also allow me to try different birthing positions. Kneeling is sometimes easier because gravity is helping. Oh, and they will let you participate in the process more.” Harry’s speech pattern becoming quicker with his excitement. “You know, like you will be able to get in the water with me, or possibly even help deliver. You won’t be forced into a designated spot by my head or holding my leg. You know, if that’s something you want to do. You don’t have to though,” Harry is quick to add, not wanting his husband to feel any kind of pressure. Louis just smiles as he helps Harry into his first pair of pregnancy jeans. The extended waistband fitting perfectly over his rounded stomach. 

“Of course I would like to be involved, love. I want to be there every step of the way.” Louis smiles handing Harry a shirt. Harry pulls it over his head and looks in the mirror. He admits he looks cute. The clothes fitting his body much more comfortably than what he had been wearing. 

“Not bad,” Harry admits, turning to the side to get a different angle. 

“You look lovely,” Louis says, meeting his eyes in the mirror, placing two warm hands on Harry’s tummy. Harry can’t help the smile that spreads over his face. Louis really does love his changing body. He has the best husband anyone could ever ask for. 

“Thank you,” Harry replies. They talk more about the birth plan as Harry tries on the rest of the clothes. He find that he likes most of them, so he adds those to the purchase pile. 

“Ready to go?” Louis ask, fingers poised on the dressing room handle. 

“Yeah, but one more thing,” Harry starts, feeling nervous over what he is about to say. The reality of it makes him feel sick, but Louis needs to hear it. He swallows the lump in his throat and licks his suddenly dry lips. “Umm-- if something happens to me during the birth, and I can’t make a decision for myself, please tell them to take me to a hospital and perform a cesarean. Do everything they can to save our babies.” 

Louis freezes for a moment, looking like he is considering his next statement very carefully. “Harry. I am going to do everything I can to save you. You are my first priority. Don’t get me wrong. Of course, I love our babies, and I want them to come into the world safely, however you are more important to me. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but I don’t want to live in a world without you in it. If the worst happens, which I hope it doesn’t, I will choose to save you. You may hate me afterwards, and you may have every right to, but at least you will be alive to hate me.” 

Harry is speechless. He doesn't know how to feel at Louis’ words, but he knows from Louis’ tone of voice he isn’t joking and that his mind will not be changed. 

 

__________

 

“Do we have to do this?” Louis whines, pulling at his green sweater. He looks like a twat.

“Yes.” Harry says rolling his eyes and glancing at the photographer. 

“Alright. Sit down in front of the tree,” She instructs waving her hands. Louis glares at her, but helps his husband sit down on the living room floor in front of their tree. She does several different shots of them in different positions, most of them are ridiculously cheesy and not helping Louis foul mood. She then gives them a sign to hold that says various things. It is all very ordinary, and Louis hates ordinary. At least he and Harry both have their sleeves rolled up, proudly displaying their tattoos. Small favors. 

“Okay. That’s it, I think. Harry, I’ll send you the proofs tonight,” She says fiddling with her camera then carefully placing it in the case. Thank fuck. Louis thinks he would rather slit his wrist than spend another moment doing stupid fucking cheesy Christmas poses in front of the tree. He knows Harry is going to to want to do a pregnancy photoshoot as well, God help him. 

“Thank you so much, Jenny. We really appreciate it. I hope to send them out by next week.” Louis helps Harry up, no small task mind you, while Harry smiles kindly at the woman. 

“I can’t believe we are becoming one of  _ those  _ couples,” Louis says when Jenny exits through the front door. 

“Louis, will you stop it. It’s just a holiday picture to send out to our family and friends. It’s not like I asked you to pose nude or for a sex tape,” Harry says rolling his eyes, starting to walk up the stairs. 

“Would have been way more fun,” Louis mutters. 

“I’m gonna go up and change. When I come back down for yoga, you better not be pouting,” Harry warns laughing when Louis makes his pout more prominent out of spite. Louis sits down on the couch, removing the god-awful sweater, leaving him in his undershirt. He promised Harry he would at least  _ watch  _ him do the yoga before he makes a decision about. A few minutes later, Harry comes down the stairs dressed in nothing but a pair of very tight pregnancy yoga pants. His long curls pulled up off his neck and into a messy bun, a few ringlets have already fallen out. Louis’ cocks twitches in interest at the sight. He squirms in his seat, positioning himself so his hard on won't be noticeable to Harry. Louis smiles at his husband, glad that Harry is starting to feel more comfortable with his every growing belly. 

The situation in Louis’ jeans is not getting much better as he continues to watch his husband contort his body into various positions. His muscled back and arms straining with many of them. Louis licks his lips, throat suddenly dry. He positions his legs so they are wide, proudly displaying his erection, hoping his husband gets the hint, but Harry ignores him as he fluidly moves into another pose. This time laying on his back and thrusting his hips up in the air, rounded stomach on display. Louis moans deep in his throat, not being able to suppress it any longer. He palms his bulge, needing some type of friction. He feels like he could come in his pants. This is so fucking errotic. 

Harry glances over from his position, eyes widening when he takes in Louis state. “Need you,” Louis whines shifting again, tensing his bum at the feeling of emptiness. 

Harry slowly gets to his feet and walks over to Louis with dark eyes. “What do you want, love?” Harry asks, gaze never leaving Louis’ face. 

“Want you inside,” Louis mummers, looking at Harry’s lips, licking his own. 

“Okay. Um… how though? Like how will it work?” Harry asks, looking down at his naked torso. 

“Dunno. We’ll figure it out. I need it.” Louis whines again, standing up from the couch. He grabs Harry’s hand and leads them to the bedroom, already removing his undershirt in the process. He feels hot all over, and his cock is aching in his pants. He just feels empty, like he needs something. Once they get into the room, Harry’s hands have already unbuttoned his dark jeans, yanking them and his underwear off. As Louis steps out of them, Harry removes his own yoga pants. Louis’ cock gets impossibly harder when he realizes that Harry wasn’t wearing anything underneath the entire time. Fuck. 

“You’re so sexy, Lou,” Harry mumbles kissing Louis hungrily. Louis moans when his cock grazes against Harry’s stomach, sending a shock through his spine and into his dick. He thinks about a position while kissing Harry, finally coming to a decision. 

“I think my hands and knees will work. Could get a bit tricky, but I think it will be fine,” Louis says, looking into Harry’s eyes. He watches as Harry considers the idea, rolling it over in his brain. When he nods, Louis springs into action. He grabs the lube from the bedside table and hands it to Harry, then gets down on all fours on the bed, arching his back pressing his ass into the air. He feels exposed, but he doesn't care. He feels like if he doesn't get something in him soon, he may actually explode. He really hopes this works. He doesn't want Harry to get upset again. He thinks it could. At 22 weeks, Harry isn’t too big. He is still carrying relatively high. He is so lost in thought, he jumps when Harry circles his rim with a wet finger. 

“Alright?” Harry asks. 

“Yeah, fine. Sorry,” Louis apologizes, closing his eyes and losing himself in the sensation of Harry opening him up. In a matter of minutes, he is moaning and fucking himself on three of Harry’s long fingers. Harry has carefully avoided his prostate the entire time, driving him mad with lust. He starts screaming into the pillow, as Harry fucks him hard on the digits. His whole body is on fire, thrumming with energy. Only Harry can make that energy turn into something more. 

“Fuck. Please. God. Harry. Please. Fuck. Need it. Need you,” Louis begs, crying out into the pillow once more when Harry finally,  _ finally,  _ crooks his fingers and grazes his spot. Harry doesn’t say a word as he removes his fingers, Louis’ whole body clenching around nothing. He feels so fucking empty, he could cry. He holds his breath when he feels the tip of Harry’s cock at his rim. This is the moment of truth. This is the moment they will find out if this position will work or not. He silently prays that it will. He may be the first person in history to pray over sex, but desperate times. He feels Harry slowly feed his length into him, finally bottoming out. He looks back, and is met with a sight he will probably never forget. Harry’s teeth are gritted in concentration, his warm taut stomach resting on Louis’ lower back. His fingers are digging into the meat of Louis’ bum, making him squirm in pleasure. Louis just nods, needing Harry to move. 

Harry moves his hips in a steady rhythm, the tip hitting Louis’ spot with every slow thrust, driving Louis mad with lust. He reaches around, tracing the vein on the underside of Louis’ low hanging cock prompting Louis to release a light and breathy moan. He removes his hand, not giving him anymore despite his whine. The slow build of the moment is everything as Harry takes him to the edge. His whole body is poised to come when Harry pulls out. Louis cries out at the loss. What the fuck? 

“Wanna see you,” Harry mummers, deep voice gravelly with arousal. Louis feels strong hands on his hips, quickly flipping him over. He intentionally spreads his legs, but is unsure of what Harry was going to do. The position did not allow them to actually have sex. Harry squeezes his thigh hard, dark gaze taking in Louis’ erection. Harry licks his lips, prompting Louis to moan. His mouth is fucking sinful. Harry inserts three fingers into Louis’ hole with no warning. Louis cries out at the feeling of being full again so quickly. Harry wastes no time finding Louis’ spot pressing on it hard everytime he thrusts in.  

“Fuck. Harry. You’re gonna make me come. Oh god. I need to touch myself, please,” Louis babbles bringing one hand up, but Harry slaps it away. 

“Come untouched,” he says, voice deep and commanding, spurring Louis on even more. Louis has never come completely untouched before. He has always had some type of friction. He doesn't know if he can do it, but her certainly feels like he may explode. 

“Fuck. Okay. Fuck. Harry. Come with me. Please. God,” Louis moans out, letting his knees fall even wider. He thinks he is crying from the intensity of the pleasure.  

“How?” Harry asks, not pausing his ministrations for even a second. God. Louis feels so fucking full and so close. Teetering on the edge. 

“On me. Fucking come on me. Please. Need it on me. Branding me,” Louis cries out, feeling like he may explode any second now, but he needs Harry too come as well.

“Okay,” Harry nods once and gets closer to Louis so that his erection is directly over Louis untouched cock. He brings his other hand down, grasping his own length and begins stroking. His eye are wide, like he wants to close them, but he doesn't want to miss a minute of this. 

“Lou,” Harry whines stroking faster. He can probably only see the tip of his cock over his protruding stomach. He is matching the thrust of his fingers to the movement of his hands, fucking fast and hard into Louis’ body, pressing heavily on his spot with every single thrust. 

“Fuck, baby. Come on me. Please. God I need it. You’re gonna make me come. I’m so fucking close. Come with me. Fuck. Please. God. Come with me,” Louis rambles. He reaches up, placing his hands on the stretched laurell tattoos. Harry cries out with the touch, ribbon after ribbon of hot come shooting all over Louis dick. Louis moans watching it right when Harry presses his fingers in hard. Louis’ cock explodes with the force of his orgasm, release quickly joining Harry’s on his stomach. He knows he screams Harry’s name as he comes. He has never felt anything more powerful in his entire life as wave after wave of pleasure rolls through his system, eyes rolling in the back of his head. His whole body is tingling, but he thinks he leaves this plain for a moment, teetering on the edge of existence. 

“So, yoga’s good?” Harry asks from beside him after a few moments, bringing Louis back to earth. How did he get there? Louis doesn't remember him moving. He must have been too fucked out to even notice. Louis looks at his husband and just gives him a thumbs up, barely mustering the energy to do that, letting his arm fall back on the bed. Harry laughs. 

 

__________

 

Louis hates his birthday. He can’t believe he is turning 31. He feels old. He glances over at Harry in the passenger seat dressed in a new pair of pregnancy jeans and a green sweater that matches his eyes. He looks lovely, really. Louis isn’t sure why he would want an old man like himself. Harry could have anyone in the world. The man looks like a model with his green eyes, curly hair, and a jawline that could cut glass.

“Lou, stop pouting. It’s adorable, but you’re face is going to get stuck that way.” Harry’s voice breaks into his subconscious, one long ringed finger poking Louis’ cheek. They are traveling to Louis’ childhood home for his birthday and christmas eve. Tomorrow will be spent with Harry’s family. It’s what they do every year. Just seems easier since Louis’ birthday is on the most fucking inconvenient day of the year. 

“Not pouting,” Louis insists, batting Harry’s hand away. 

“Lou, you are usually a much better liar than that,” Harry says, and Louis can hear him smiling. “Come on. What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing.” 

“I know it’s because it’s your birthday. We have been together far too long for me to not have figured that out by now,” Harry observes. Louis glances over in time to see Harry rub a gentle hand over his stomach, something he has been subconsciously doing since he found out he was pregnant. Harry’s right. He can’t hide anything from him. He knows that; it’s just sometimes hard to talk about it. 

Louis sighs, focusing is attention back on the road. Not looking at Harry make make this easier. “I just-- I just don’t understand why you would want to be with an old man. I turned 31 today. You’re gorgeous. You could have anyone you want, yet you’re with me. I just don’t get it.” 

“Louis. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. When I look at you, I see the most beautiful person I have ever laid eyes on. You’re eyes are the most interesting shade of blue I have ever seen. Your hair is soft and perfect. You cheekbones are higher than my IQ. I could trace a path to my heart from the freckles on your cheeks alone. I love your voice and your body. Jesus do I love your body. I’m getting hard just thinking about it.” Harry squirms in his seat a bit, but his eyes are honest. So honest, it hurts Louis’ chest. Harry’s words makes him feel a bit better though.

“Thank you, love. I will try to pull myself out of this funk,” Louis replies, grabbing Harry’s hand and kissing his knuckles. 

“Fuck. You know what I could go for right now?” Harry asks, changing the subject. 

“What?” Louis replies, smiling because he can’t wait to hear what his husband has come up with this this time. His cravings have been getting more and more random lately. At first, he just wanted to eat one thing all the time, now, though, it is more of the ‘classic cravings’ that one may read about in books or see on TV. 

“A Shamrock Shake,” Harry answers licking his lips. 

Louis is shocked by the request. It isn’t organic or homemade or any of that hippie shit Harry is into. It is from a fastfood restaurant for God’s sake. He doesn’t even think Harry has ever actually  _ requested  _ to go to one, only going if Louis begs. “Hazza, it’s the middle of fucking winter. Shamrock Shakes aren’t even out until March. How the fuck am I supposed to get you one of those?” Louis asks with a chuckle.

“I really want one, Lou,” Harry whines, full bottom lip coming out into a full blown pout. 

“I know, love, but I can’t happen. Maybe in March. Is there something else that sounds good?” Louis questions, hoping to placate his husband and their babies. 

“Umm…” Harry taps his chin in thought. “Oh-- I know. A swirl cone from Dairy Queen!” Harry claps his hands in excitement, licking his lips at the very idea. It’s Christmas time and his husband wants fucking Icecream. Of-fucking-course. Louis rolls his eyes, but signals to merge into the other lane, detouring towards the nearest Dairy Queen. He would do anything for Harry, afterall. They go through the drive thru, Harry ordering a large swirl cone. He smiles brightly when he gets it in his hands, sticking his pink tongue out to lick up one side. The whole thing is obscene, and Louis has to force himself to look away and concentrate on the road before he comes in his pants. 

The rest of the drive is quiet, the only sounds are Harry eating his ice cream cone happily humming and the light sound of music coming through the speakers. He glances over to see Harry has a bit of Icecream on the tip of his nose. It’s fucking adorable, but he reaches over to wipe it off. Harry gives Louis the bottom of the cone, because he know it is Louis’ favorite part. After eating it, Louis turns the volume up and they sing along to Christmas songs, harmonizing perfectly. Something about their voices meshing well. 

“So glad you all made it,” Jay exclaims as soon as the pair walk through the door. She comes over to hug Harry first, rubbing his belly praising on how big he is getting. Louis doesn't understand everyone’s fascination with touching Harry’s stomach like it’s theirs. He is allowed because he is his fucking husband, but it’s odd when total strangers do it. They come up and rub his stomach saying congrats. No one ever comes up to him and rubs his dick saying ‘good job, bro’, except maybe Harry. 

He hugs and kisses his mom on the cheek when she finally makes her way to him, after spending far too much time fonding over Harry’s bump. Jesus what’s he got to do to get her attention? It’s his fucking birthday, afterall. He knows he shouldn’t feel Jealous over the babies, but his mood was sour to begin with and it’s just not helping. Dan walks over and takes the things from their hands, taking the presents to lay them under the tree.

One by one, everybody in the household comes to the greet them. All except Dan, patting Harry’s stomach. The younger twins are slightly disappointed when Harry tells them that they won’t be able to feel the baby’s move just yet. Join the fucking club, Louis thinks cynically. He really needs to pull himself out of this mood if he is going to survive the day. Louis can tell by the look on his husband’s face he, too, is getting tired of constantly being touched. They are family, but it must really suck for everyone to feel like they have a right to your body. Louis’ mood improves as the day draws on. Everyone laughs, talks, eats, and sings Christmas songs freely, catching up on each other’s lives. They try to make it about Louis’ birthday as well, but it is difficult seeing as the entire house is decorated in red and green. They are also there to also celebrate the holiday. 

“Alright. Time for presents! Let’s do Lou’s birthday presents first,” Jay says clapping her hands, then leaving the room, bringing in a large present wrapped in Christmas paper, of course. Was it that hard to wrap his present in birthday wrapping paper? He tells them that he doesn't mind, but he secretly does. 

“This is from all of us,” she tells him, handing the giant present over. It’s heavy in his hands; he shakes it, grinning at everyone. He sits it on the floor, knocking and pretending to listen for a sound prompting Dottie and Ernie to giggle.

“Open it!” Dottie demands impatiently, squirming around on the floor. 

“Okay. Okay,” Louis laughs, ripping the paper off of it quickly. He finds a dark grey box, on the top written in white writing says ‘Daddy Care Package’. He should have known it would be something to do with the babies. He shouldn’t be disappointed, but he is. He still pastes on a fake smile as he slowly opens the box, revealing the contents inside. The gifts are all thoughtful, some even funny. He pulls each item out, inspecting it one by one before setting it to the side. Inside is a six pack of Louis’ favorite beer, a nice beer glass that says ‘Dad est. 2019’, a bottle of pain relievers, a shirt that has a wolf on it and three onesie with pigs, a few baby books, some really expensive coffee, a framed picture of their latest sonogram with ‘best dad ever’ written along the top and bottom, and an assortment of his favorite snacks and tea. 

“Thanks guys, I love it,” Louis tells them, getting up to hug each and everyone. He does love it; he just wishes it didn’t have to do with the babies. It is fine as a Christmas present; he and Harry had even asked for baby stuff figuring they would need all of the help they could get, having to buy for three. For his birthday, though, he was hoping for something a bit more… personal. Oh well. May as well not fret since there is nothing that can be done about it now.  

“Okay. Time for my present,” Harry says smiling and going over to the pile. He pulls out one that has been hidden, wrapped in obnoxious brightly colored birthday wrapping paper with balloons, party streamers, and large bubble letters. He even tied a rainbow bow around it. Louis smiles because he loves it already and hasn't even opened it. The box is long and narrow shaped in a rectangle, probably twice as long as one of Louis’ palms. It is heavy in his hand, and he wonders what on earth it could be. He sends Harry a questioning look, helping him reclaim his seat next to Louis. 

“Open it.” Harry smiles, so Louis does, ripping the paper and letting it fall to the ground. Beneath the wrapping paper is an unassuming brown box. He opens the side, letting a heavy object wrapped in bubble wrap slide into his palm. He carefully unwraps the bubble wrap, revealing a dark red mahogany desk name block. Louis traces the plate. It’s black, outlined in gold with ‘Louis Tomlinson’ inscribed along it in gold lettering. He feels tears prickle his eyes because it is just so thoughtful. 

“Um-- I thought you could use it on your fancy new desk since you like a very important person now,” Harry explains, fiddling with his rings nervously. 

“I love it, baby. Thank you so much.” Louis hugs Harry then, breathing in his scent attempting to blink away the tears. It is a gift just for Louis and has everything to do with his own life. It is perfect. 

“You’re welcome, love. Happy Birthday,” Harry says bringing his arms to Louis’ upper back, squeezing him tightly. He then seductively whispers in Louis’ ear, “I’ll give you your other present tonight.” The sentence goes straight to Louis’ cock. He coughs then discreetly adjusting himself. This is why he loves Harry so much. The man knows Louis so well. He didn’t make his birthday about anyone or anything but him, and for that he is grateful. Louis smiles at his family, ready for the Christmas presents now. 

The rest of the presents are more so for the babies than he and Harry, which they don’t mind. Most of it is needed. They are hoping to get more during their baby shower in a few weeks, then they will assess what they were given and buy the rest. 

 

___________

 

“Wanna read to the babies? They are supposed to be able to hear the sound of our voices,” Harry asks when he and Louis are getting ready for bed. They had just gotten back from spending Christmas at his parent’s house, and he is exhausted. He and Louis received more gifts for the babies from his family, all of which were put into the extra bedroom that will be transformed into the nursery eventually. That is if Louis ever makes good on his promise and gets started. He has been trying not to get irritated with his husband, because he knows he has been busy with his new position, however it is difficult. Harry thinks he may be starting to ‘nest’ so he just wants things ready. He feels like there is an invisible clock ticking in the back of his mind, making him anxious. 

“Yeah. Sure. What should we read?” Louis ask, pulling off his pajama pants. 

“Nothing Christmas related, please.” Harry scrunches his nose up in distaste, thinking for a moment about the question. “Umm… I don’t think it really matters. They can’t really understand us, just hear us,” Harry answers then smiles when Louis leaves the rooming coming back with the first Harry Potter book in his hands. Louis sits on the bed, spreading his legs wide and patting the spot between them. Harry grins, knowing what Louis wants, and gets on the bed, sitting in between Louis’ legs, leaning his back against Louis’ chest. Louis pulls the covers around them then hands Harry the book, bringing his hands around to rest on Harry’s stomach. 

Harry props the book open to the front page, listening to Louis’ tenor toned voice as he starts to read. Harry loves Louis’ voice. It is so soft and raspy, soothing. Harry could listen to him talk or sing all day. The babies immediately begin moving around when they hear it. Harry has noticed lately that they love the sound of their Daddy’s voice, moving around as soon as Louis starts talking. After a few minutes, Louis stops reading and freezes, hands resting on one spot and applying just the tiniest bit of pressure. 

“What is it?” Harry asks, hope lacing through the question. 

“I-- I think I felt them move,” Louis whispers, voice thick with emotion. 

“Yeah?” Harry ask, turning around completely and sitting on his haunches to face his husband. He brings Louis’ hands up to rest on either side of his bump pressing gently, leaving his hands on top of his. “They always move when they hear your voice. They love it. Sing to them,” Harry suggests, but he isn’t sure if Louis will actually do it. He has always been a bit shy about his singing voice. He is surprised when Louis takes a breath and begins to sing. He listens as Louis’ soft raspy voice begins a old country song that Harry vaguely recognizes.

_ I hope you never lose your sense of wonder _

_ You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger _

_ May you never take one single breath for granted _

_ God forbid love ever leave you empty handed _

_ I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean _

_ Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens _

_ Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance _

_ And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance _

 

_ I hope you dance _

_ I hope you dance _

 

As soon as he begins, the triplets start moving again. Louis’ eyes are wide when he feels them, but he doesn’t stop singing. His eyes are brimming with tears, and his voice is cracking with emotion. Harry sniffles not bothering to wipe his own tears, letting them fall onto his stomach. He brings his hands up to wipe Louis eyes, beaming at him because he finally gets to feel their babies move.

 

_ I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance _

_ Never settle for the path of least resistance _

_ Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin' _

_ Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin' _

_ Don't let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter _

_ When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider _

_ Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance _

_ And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance _

 

_ I hope you dance  _

 

_ I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean _

_ Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens _

_ Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance _

_ And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance _

 

_ I hope you dance _

 

Louis looks in awe as he finishes the song, voice cracking with the last ‘dance’. Harry is now openly bawling, listening to the words his husband sang to their unborn children. It is just so beautiful and perfect. Harry’s heart feels like it may explode with emotion. He wipes his eyes with his fingers, reaching up once more to wipe Louis’. 

“That was amazing. The best Christmas present I could have ever received,” Louis whispers, not moving his his hands. 

“I know,” Harry nods, sniffling again with a watery smile. When the babies stop moving again, he dives into his husband's arms, hugging him tight, never wanting to let go. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments are always welcome!  
> Follow me on my social media for updates or just to chat xx  
> Twitter: @Wicked_Archer  
> Tumblr: wicked-archer


	7. Rutabaga

“Come on, Lou. We need to get this registry together. The baby shower is in a week and people aren’t gonna know what to buy for us,” Harry begs. If Louis has to hear the words color swatches, cribs, car seats, or anything baby related one more time, he may actually strangle himself with those stupid baby safety cabinet latches Harry keeps going on and on about. Jesus fucking Christ, they won't even be crawling for another 8 months, is it really necessary to get all of that stuff now? 

“Fine, that one,” Louis replies pointing to a random crib on the screen because it was one of those twin cribs, and he likes the color. 

“No, Louis. We can’t get that one. It has a drop side, so it isn't as safe as some of the others,” Harry informs shaking his head furiously. Louis barely suppresses an eye roll. For the past few weeks, Harry has done every search on the internet to compare the safety features to everything from car seats to fucking blankets. Louis doesn't see the point. His mom raised seven children on a fixed income. She never compared safety features or had bought something with the newest locking technology --its a fucking lock, aren’t they all the same?-- and none of them were dead, thank you very much. He knows his husband is doing what he thinks is best for their children, but, fuck, it is driving him mental. 

“Okay,” Louis says looking at the screen, trying his best to keep his sarcasm in check. 

“How about this one?” Harry asks clicking on a image that looks just like all the others, if you ask Louis. “It’s got great reviews and a good safety rating.” Harry gets closer to the computer that he has propped up on his rounded stomach. 

“Perfect,” Louis answers not even glancing at the screen. 

“You’re not taking this seriously,” Harry says making his grumpy frog face that Louis loves so much.

“Yes. I am,” Louis insist squinting at the screen for good measure. 

“No, you’re not. You probably don’t even know which car seat I decided to add to the registry five minutes ago,” Harry accuses. 

“Yes, I do,” Louis replies, but he really doesn't. He quickly racks his brain trying to remember something, anything, about the fucking carseat Harry liked. “ Um-- it was the-- um-- red one with the locking thing that you said had five out of five stars on the safety meter, whatever in the fuck that is.” 

Harry stares at him blankly, and Louis know it’s the wrong answer. “No. That’s not it. That’s the one I hated that only had two stars. You’re not taking this seriously. It’s like you don't even care about our children’s safety and well being.” Harry slams the screen on the laptop down, placing it to the side.

“I promise. I care. I just-- this isn’t my thing Harry. I just don’t see the point in all of the safety features you keep going on and on about. Our parents didn’t have half of the stuff out there on the market today, and they raised us just fine. I just think you’re making a big deal over nothing.” Louis thinks he’s being logical, but Harry must not see it that way because his green eyes are filling up with tears. 

“Nothing when it comes to these babies is your thing, it seems. Their safety is important. Do you know how many children die each year because of unsafe equipment or an unsafe household? You don’t because you don’t care.” Harry’s sentence breaks off into a cry, and he buries his face in his hands. Louis’ heart breaks at the scene. He never wanted to make Harry cry, but he really doesn’t think he is wrong with this, regardless he should apologize. 

“Baby, don’t cry. I’m sorry you have felt that way. I promise, I love our babies, and I will try to be more present. You know, I want to be as involved with them as possible,” Louis says turning on the couch towards Harry and stroking his protruding belly soothingly, smiling when he can feel movement beneath his fingertips. 

“I’m sorry I keep nagging. I know I’m driving you crazy,” Harry says sniffling and looking up, placing his hand on Louis’. “I think I’m nesting, according to all of the books, and not being ready is making me anxious. I feel like there is a million things to do and not enough time to do them.” 

“You’re only at 26 weeks. We’ve got plenty of time.”

“You heard the doctor. I could easily go into labor early. We may not have as much time as you think,” Harry’s eyes are wide and scared. 

“Shh, shh, baby, it’s okay. We will get it done before they are here. Trust me. We will be fine. After the baby shower, we will buy the rest of the stuff, and I will put together the nursery. We will be ready,” Louis soothes, bringing one thumb up to wipe away Harry’s tears. 

“Okay. I trust you,” Harry says finally, giving Louis a watery smile. 

“I know our appointment isn’t for another hour and half, but why don’t you go upstairs and change now. We can go get some lunch and take a break from the registry.” At Harry’s panicked look, he adds, “We will come back to it after the appointment. I just think we both need a break from all of this baby stuff. To be Louis and Harry for a little while.” 

“Yeah. You’re right. Okay. Help me up,” Harry says, and Louis smiles getting to his feet and helping his husband up from the couch. They go upstairs together and change, getting ready for their next appointment. Lunch is lovely, both men just enjoying the company of each other. They don’t talk about the babies, baby stuff, or the upcoming baby shower. Harry tells him a story about a guy from work, but he takes so long to get to the actual reason he told the story Louis kind of forgets what it was about to begin with. Regardless it’s one of those experiences that makes him fall in love with his husband even more. 

“Oh shit,” Harry says once they are sitting in a seat at the doctor’s office waiting to be called. 

“What?” Louis asks, confused. 

“We need to discuss baby names. This is going to be hard,” Harry sighs like it’s the most important thing in the world. It probably is to Harry at the moment though. 

“How about this. We each come up with our own list, then we exchange them and compare them. See what is the same, what we like on the other list, and veto what we hate? Does that work?” Louis asks. Shockingly enough, he has been thinking about this for a while now. 

“That’s a great idea, Lou. I think that could work,” Harry replies smiling just as their names are called. They greet Piper as they walk through the door. She takes them to an exam room, getting Harry’s vials before she leaves them alone to speak quietly among themselves before Dr. Burns comes back in, Nurse Angie in tow. 

“Afternoon gentlemen. How have you been feeling, Harry?” She asks, walking in with her usual file folder. 

“Pretty good. Lots of movement. I feel like I have to pee about 386 times a day, but other than that, not bad. Lou finally got to feel them move,’ Harry tells her, smiling at Louis. 

“That’s great. Have you thought about a birth plan?” She asks, sitting down. 

“Yes.” Harry then goes into a detailed explanation of what he had spoken to Louis about before the holiday. Dr. Burns smiles alone, taking notes as Harry speaks in his slow, methodological way, moving his hands about just as slowly. 

“Great. That’s perfect. Sounds like you really thought it through. I will let the birthing facility know.” She smiles at them. 

“Oh and one more thing,” Harry says raising one long finger in the air. Louis looks at him curiously, because he thought he had already covered all of the bases. “Um-- I’d like to save the cord blood. I’ve done a lot of research, and I think it could be beneficial.” Louis is shocked by this information. Harry hasn’t mentioned it all. Harry looks at him apologetically, then mouths ‘sorry’. Louis isn’t upset at all though. Saving the cord blood is exactly something Harry would do, he is just confused that Harry hadn’t brought up until now. 

“Alright. I will put that down in my notes,” Dr. Burns says scribbling in her folder. “Okay. So let's take a look at these babies. You know the drill Harry.” 

Harry nods, and Louis springs into action, helping him lay back on exam table. Harry pulls up his shirt, exposing his pale stomach to the room, chill bumps erupting on the taut skin. Louis helps him pull the pregnancy pants down to his hips to make it easier for the ultrasound. After they take a measurement of Harry’s stomach, they squeeze the gel on, Harry only grimacing just a tiny bit. 

“Hmm…” Dr. Burns says after a few minutes, pointing then taking over and clicking around the screen. Cold fear shoots through Louis’ entire body from the concentrated look on their Doctor’s face. 

“What is it?” Harry asks, squeezing Louis’ hand. Louis squeezes back because he is just as scared as his husband. 

“Well, it seems that one of the girls isn’t growing as well as her sister and brother. She is measuring just a bit smaller,” Dr. Burns responds, not taking her eyes off the screen. Bile rises in Louis’ throat as he tries to swallow it away, telling himself to remain calm. Is their daughter going to die? Will she have health problems for the rest of her life? 

“What--what do you mean? Is she okay? Is she going to be okay?” Harry asks, slightly hysterical now. Louis reaches over to card his fingers through Harry’s soft curls, hoping to soothe his husband just a bit. He is looking from Louis to the Doctor to the Nurse with wide panicked eyes. 

“Yes. She is fine; we will just need to keep an eye on her. It happens with multiples. Since she is sharing a sac and therefore placenta with her sister, oftentimes one fetus may not get as much nutrition as the other, prompting on to be much smaller. Thankfully she isn’t measuring too much smaller, but like I said, we will just have to keep an eye on her growth,” Dr. Burns explains. 

“Can she die? Will this give her long term health problems?” Louis asks the questions that are sitting heavily on both his and Harry’s minds. 

“I am going to be honest with you, it can be potentially fatal. Right now, her heart rate is strong, and she is moving. She seems fine, albeit just a bit smaller than her sister. I am just going to have you come in more often for scans to monitor her progress. Malnourishment can cause a variety of future health issues like underdeveloped organs, cardiovascular issues, premature birth, brain damage, or even stillbirth…” Louis’ cognitive function stops working at the mention of a stillbirth. He blinks his eyes quickly, trying to hold back his tears. He feels sick from all of this information. One of their babies could actually die. How can this be happening. He glances at Harry who is mirroring his expression. His face is as white as a sheet, and he is shaking.  

“Wh--wha…” Harry’s sentence is cut off by their doctor. 

“However, I don’t think any of these will be the case for you as of now,” Dr. Burns finishes, smiling reassuringly at the pair. 

“Is it..” Harry swallows heavily, and Louis knows what he is about to say. Louis wants to stop him, but he can’t seem to form words. “Is it something I did? Is it something I’m doing? Am I-- am I causing this?” Harry stutters through the questions, tears beginning to stream down his face. 

“Shh--shh, baby, it’s okay,” Louis soothes, grabbing Harry’s face with both hands, forcing Harry to look at him. He wipes away his tears, silently willing Harry to breathe properly and calm down. “She said that it is because they share a sac and placenta. I am sure there is nothing that you could have done to change the outcome of this.” 

“Your husband is correct. There is nothing that you are doing wrong. Unfortunately, it just happens with multiples.” Dr. Burns then turns the screen towards them. “As you can see, she isn’t that much smaller than her sister.” She points to the two babies then at their measurements listed on the screen. “Of course, their brother is a bit bigger, since he has his own placenta.” 

“Lucky bastard,” Louis says attempting to lighten the mood. He looks to see Harry sob out a laugh, and he knows he did what he had intended. 

“See, baby. She’s fine,” Louis says not really looking at the screen anymore. His main concern is his husband now and making sure Harry’s panic doesn't send him into an asthma attack.

“Oh--okay,” Harry says shakily, studying the screen as if to make sure they are being truthful. Louis doesn't blame him. He is still kind of scared, but he has to be strong for Harry. Always for Harry. 

“Alright. Like I said, I would like to see you in here more often. Maybe every three weeks, just to check on their progress. Do you have any questions for me?” Dr. Burns ask, shutting off the screen. 

“Umm-- I don’t think so,” Louis says. 

“Is there anything I can do to help her grow?” Harry asks, beginning the process of getting the gel off of his stomach. Louis reaches to help since Harry can’t see all of it.

“Not really. You are healthy. Your bloodwork is all good and your vitals are amazing. I don’t think there is anything you can do but to keep doing what you are doing. Try to rest up and don’t forget to drink plenty of fluids. I know it’s hard since you urinate so often, however, you have a high chance of dehydration with multiples.” 

“Okay,” Harry responds, and Louis can tell just by the look on his face he isn’t convinced that it’s not him causing the malnutrition. Louis is going to have to change that, though. He can’t let Harry believe he is the cause for all of this. He just can’t. Harry is too good of a parent already for him to believe he is doing anything wrong.

 

__________

 

“Come on Gems. I just want to get out of the house. Ever since the doctor told us that one of the babies isn’t growing as well, Lou has insisted that I work from home for the rest of my pregnancy. I am going crazy here. I just want to go to the mall and do some shopping. I’m not asking to run a triathlon or anything,” Harry huffs. He is almost positive Gemma is just Louis with boobs. It should be weird, but it isn’t. Maybe Freud should have studied him. 

“Are you sure you are feeling up for it?” Gemma asked for what feels like the 58th time in this conversation alone. Harry rolls his eyes. 

“Yes. I promise. I won’t over do it. I just wanna get out for a bit,” Harry insists pouting at his sister through their Skype call. 

“Fine. I have to finish up here. Meet in like two hours?” Gemma asks with an audible sigh. 

“Yes! Perfect!” Harry exclaims just barely suppressing a victory ‘yes’. 

“Okay. If Lou asks, this was not my idea,” Gemma says, pointing one long manicured finger at the screen. 

“Not your idea at all,” Harry replies, pretending to zip his mouth. 

“Well it isn’t. Okay, I’ll see you in a bit,” she says then ends their call with Harry waving. Harry looks around the house, trying to think of something he could do to kill two hours. He decides to do some Yoga, then clean. The house really doesn't need cleaned, but he just wants it .to be perfect for the babies’ arrival. His lower back is achy by the time he finishes yoga and cleaning, so he sits down for a few minutes playing on his phone and texting Louis before he has to leave to meet his sister. He rubs his belling, feeling the babies kick through the skin. One of them is definitely going to play soccer like it’s dad. 

“I can’t wait to meet you,” he whispers to his stomach, like it's a secret. A part of him hates being pregnant. He is at that stage where it is starting to become uncomfortable, especially with three babies. He is not going to miss pissing every ten minutes, nor the back aches or aversion to certain smells. He certainly misses caffeine, wine, and beer, but he has a feeling that he is very much going to miss his bump when it’s gone. He likes talking to them and telling them how much he and Louis love them. 

Looking at the time, he makes his way to his car adjusting the steering wheel so that it can accommodate his growing midsection. He fastens the seat belt, so it is secured under his bump, not wanting to risk it hurting the babies in the event of a car crash. The drive to the mall is relaxing, Harry singing softly to the music apologizing to the babies that it isn’t Louis’ voice. They don’t seem to mind though, causing Harry to wince at one particularly hard kick under his rib cage. They seem to like music, which pleases Harry quite a bit. 

He finds a parking lot close to the entrance and steps out into the frigid winter air, shivering and watching his breath cloud around him. He is thankful for his long hair which is currently protecting his ears from the harsh wind blowing across the parking lot. He absentmindedly rubs his stomach as he makes his way inside, sighing when the warm air hits him. 

“Hey baby bro,” Gemma greets hugging him then giving his belly a fond rub. “How are my nieces and nephew doing today?”

“Moving around a lot,” Harry responds with a smile and discarding his heavy coat. 

“Really? Can I feel them yet?” She asks, eyes lighting up with hope. 

“Yup. Louis got to feel them move on Christmas actually,” Harry answers taking Gemma’s much smaller hand and firmly pressing it right where one of the twins was currently kicking. Her eyes light up with realization. 

“That’s so cool. I kind of remember feeling mom’s stomach as you kicked.” Gemma smiles dropping her hand. 

“Yeah. It was really emotional for Lou. Don’t tell him I told you, he would probably kill me,” Harry says shaking his head and laughing, starting to lead the way towards a store. 

“Of course,” Gemma says laughing along with him. 

“So how’s the planning for my baby shower?” Harry asks pulling out an adorable pink dress from a rack of baby clothes to inspect it. Louis would kill him if he knew that he was shopping for baby stuff, wanting Harry to wait until after the shower, but Harry just can’t help it. He feels so anxious not having anything except a few items of clothes and some baby books. He hates it. 

“I’m not telling you what we are doing if that is what you are hinting at,” Gemma says laughing. 

“‘M not. Just wanting to see how it was going is all,” Harry replies innocently even though that is totally what he is doing. Gemma, Niall, Liam, and Lottie decided that they were going to plan the baby shower together. Originally Niall and Liam wanted to do it alone, but Louis and Harry weren’t sure how they felt about that, so Lottie and Gemma agreed to help them. Gemma was happy because it meant she could spend more time with Niall. 

“It’s going well, but you don’t need to be worrying about it. All you have to do is get your cute little bump there and focus on the damn registry.” Gemma poked Harry in his stomach to emphasize her point. 

“Alright. Alright,” Harry replies smiling and moving away from the touch, tickling just a bit. 

“Is the registry done?” Gemma asks, picking up a few tiny hats, showing them to Harry. 

“Yup,” Harry replies popping the ‘p’, then squealing when he sees one of the hats has an owl on it. It matches the dress he is currently holding in his left hand. “We finished it the other night. It is ready to go for whoever wants to know what we need, which you know, means everything. We put a bunch of preemie stuff on there, since we are expecting them to be not only small but born early,” Harry explains, adding another item of clothing to his growing pile. 

“Makes sense,” Gemma says laughing at the look on Harry’s face when she holds up an onsie that says ‘Built Man Tough’ in awful lettering made to look like welded steel. 

“So, um, how are things going with Niall?” Harry asks pretending to be overly interested in a tiny blue knitted pair of booties that really weren’t all that extraordinary. He is doing his best to be open minded about this whole Gemma and Niall  _ thing _ . It’s just hard. He is protective of Gemma. She is his sister, after all. 

“Great. Um-- we kind of made it official last night.” Harry’s head snaps in her direction at her admission. She is not making eye contact with him, and her cheeks have a stark red blush on them, that had nothing to do with the cold outside. 

“Really?” Harry is surprised. Come think of it, though, they have been seeing each other since the Gender reveal and that was over two months ago. He isn’t sure if he is happy about this or completely and totally upset. Maybe somewhere in between. Like Louis has said countless times, Niall is a great guy. It’s not shocking that Niall and Gemma would get along since Niall and Louis are best friends and Gemma is, as already established, just Louis with boobs. 

“Yeah. I really like him, H. Like I think it could actually be something. We are a lot alike, and he doesn't mind my sarcasm like some men. I think he actually likes it,” Gemma tells him, getting a far away look in her eyes and smiling dopely. How could Harry be mad at that? He obviously makes her happy. 

“That’s great, Gems. I’m-- um, I’m really happy for you,” Harry says, trying to sound sincere because he is. 

“Really?” She asks, obviously skeptical after his initial reaction. 

“Yes. Really. I just want you to be happy, and Niall seems to be making you happy,” Harry says, bringing Gemma into a tight embrace, well as tightly as it can be with a beach ball between them. 

“Thanks. He does make me happy, you know. He’s a bit younger than me, but that doesn't really matter when you’re older I suppose,” Gemma replies into Harry’s ear. 

“No, it doesn't. Your happiness is all that matters to me.” They hug for a few more minutes until both of them break a part. They spend the rest of the afternoon buying baby clothes, Gemma buying a new pair of boots for herself. They eat a late lunch together, but it makes Harry feel sick. 

“Are you sure you don’t need me to come home with you?” Gemma asks again when they are getting ready to part ways at the mall entrance. 

“Yeah. I’ll be fine. I’m just gonna go home and lay down. I think I just overdid it,” Harry tells her, trying to put a sureness in his tone even though he isn’t entirely sure. He just feels tired and like he needs to lay down. Somewhat sick, but mostly just exhausted. 

“I can come back with you and stay until Louis gets home,” Gemma offers. 

“That’s not necessary. He will be home in a couple of hours, tops. I promise, I will be fine. It will be boring for you, literally all I am going to do is go home and take a nap,” Harry reasons, seeing the concern written all over his sister’s face. One thing that he hates about being pregnant is that people tend to treat him like he is made of glass. It’s cute when Louis does it, but he is an adult. He can make his own decisions, and right now he just wants to go home and lay down. 

“Okay. Text me when you wake up though.” He nods then waves Gemma off as he makes his way to his own car, the cold waking him up a bit. The drive home is quick, and before he knows it, he is stripped down naked, laying under their fluffy duvet. He pulls his pregnancy pillow close to him and lays on Louis’ side because it smells like him. He falls asleep quickly, overall tiredness and illness finally taking its toll on his body. 

An hour and half later he wakes up because he really has to pee, but he can’t move the entire right side of his body. His right arm and leg are both numb. He can’t feel anything at all besides a painful tingling sensation and the overwhelming urge to pee. Fear goes through his system like cold water, freezing him. He immediately begins to panic. He is paralyzed. He tries to tell himself to stay calm and think, but all he can consider is that one of the babies is in trouble. What if something is wrong with them? He looks around the room to see if he can reach something that will help him. His phone is on the right hand bedside table. He can’t seem to reach it with his left hand regardless of how long his arms are. He listens for any sign of Louis but hears none. He is alone. The panic building in his throat chokes him as he begins to sob because he has no idea what else to do. He may die. His babies may die, and he is alone. 

 

__________

 

“Louis! Is that you!?! Please come here! Hurry!” Louis hears his husband yelling from up the stairs as soon as he walks through the door. He wonders what it is this time. Maybe one of the babies is kicking again. 

“Coming!” Louis yells back toeing off his shoes. 

“God, please hurry, Lou!” Harry’s voice sounds panicked and cracked, like he’s been crying. Louis’ heart stops for a split second, allowing the suffocating feeling of terror to grip his throat, closing it off. When Harry yells again, this time choking on a sob, Louis springs into action. He runs up the stairs, not even taking off his heavy winter coat. He needs to get to Harry. When he comes into the bedroom, the first thing he notices is the smell of urine. The room is dark and all he can hear is Harry’s sobs. He flips on the light, flooding the room in light. What he sees both breaks his heart and scares him to death. Bile rises in his throat, threatening to bring up his lunch. 

Harry is laying in the bed, tangled in their sheets. His face and chest are red and blotchy from sobbing. His beautiful face is covered in snot and tears. His hair is a tangled mess and his breathing is really erratic. Louis can’t think straight. All he can muster up is concern for his husband and their unborn children. He feels like he is frozen in time, as if he has walked into the Twilight Zone. This can’t be happening. It just can’t. Harry is strong and healthy. He was fine when he had left this morning. Oh god. Louis’ whole body starts to shake, but he doesn’t cry. He wills himself not to. He can’t; it would only make his husband panic more. 

“Oh God.” Is all he says. It’s all he can say. He puts one hand up to his mouth, covering a sob. 

“I can’t move. Lou. God. I can’t move, I- I think I’m paralyzed,” Harry stutters out. Louis can barely understand him around his tears. Louis springs into action, running over to Harry’s side of the bed. He registers somewhere in the back of his mind that the overwhelming smell of urine is coming from Harry. He can see the dark spots from his pee on the sheets. Louis doesn't care though. All he cares about is Harry. His Harry. His everything. His entire life. 

“What do you mean you can’t move?” Louis ask, taking Harry’s hand right hand, trying to stay calm. 

“I can’t feel you, all I feel is pins and needles and it hurts Lou,” Harry cries, looking at Louis’ hand. Louis realizes that Harry hasn’t held it back. His large hand is just laying limp in his much smaller one. 

“Okay. Fuck. I’m gonna call an ambulance baby. Just hold on.” With shaking hands, Louis pulls out his phone. It takes him three tries to get the fingerprint ID to work. When he finally gets it to open, he quickly dials 9-1-1. As calmly as he can, he explains everything to the operator, asking Harry questions he didn’t know like:  _ How long has this been happening? Has this ever happened before? Is it just your right side?  _ Louis holds Harry’s hand and fights back is own tears as the operator stays on the line with him while he waits for the arrival of the ambulance. 

“Baby, I’m gonna go let the paramedics in, the ambulance is here,” Louis says when he hears sirens in the distance. 

“No. Please don’t leave me, Lou. Please don’t. I was so scared. I was scared to die alone. Please don’t leave me again. I don’t want to die alone,” Harry begs, fat tears streaming down his face. 

“Shh, baby. I will only be gone for a minute. You’re not going to die. I promise you,” Louis says trying to soothe his hysterical husband. He had just gotten him to calm down too. He tries to let go of Harry’s good hand, but Harry grips tighter. 

“No. Lou. Please. I don’t wanna be alone,” Harry cries. Louis is so torn. He doesn't know what to do . He has to go let the paramedics in, but he doesn't know if he can physically leave Harry like this. 

“I’ll be right back, baby, I promise,” Louis says then pulls his hand out of Harry’s harsh grip. He turns away as fast as he can and runs down the stairs, listing to Harry’s wails in his wake. His heart is breaking, but he has to do what is best. He has to keep Harry safe, and that means leaving him to let the paramedics in the door. 

“Where is he?” One of the paramedics asks as soon as Louis opens the door. 

“Up the stairs,” Louis gestures and they follow him, asking him questions about Harry’s situation along the way. He tells them everything he knows, even though he feels like it is very little at the moment. He has never felt so helpless in his entire life. He walks back into the room, quickly dropping to Harry’s side. 

“Baby, help is here. Okay. They are going to help you,” Louis tells him, wiping his eyes and stroking his hair, doing anything he can to soothe him. Harry just nods, and Louis is worried he is going into shock. 

“‘M Tired, Lou,” Harry says, voice barely audible above Louis’ beating heart. Louis is so scared he can’t breath. 

“Baby. Stay with me. Baby!” Louis cries, getting worried as he watches Harry’s green eyes fall shut. He grabs his husband’s hand, but finds it cold to the touch. “Oh god,” he sobs, clinging to Harry. “He’s dead.” Louis feels hard hands pull him away from Harry, but he fights them. He has to get back to his husband. He has to know that he is okay. He has to tell him that he loves him. 

“Sir. Please try to stay calm. Let us handle it.” The paramedic holding him tries to reason, but Louis doesn't hear it. All he can hear is the blood rushing to his head and his own choked breaths. He watches, numb, as the men crowd around his husband. It should be him. Harry trusts him. Harry wouldn’t want strange men seeing him in naked, touching him. 

“I’ve got a pulse,” one says to the other, fingers on the long column of Harry’s neck. Louis lets out a breath he didn’t know he has been holding at the revelation. Harry is alive, but he looks ghostly pale. His chest is barely rising and falling with his breaths. He watches with wide, wet eyes as they put Harry’s seemingly lifeless body on a gurney, strapping him in. They are careful placing the strap over his bump. One paramedic is moving a device around his abdomen, probably listening for heartbeats. 

“Male. 28 years of age. 27 weeks gestation. Triplets. Syncope. Complaining of paralysis on right side as well as weakness and numbness.” The man speaks clearly in to his walkie talkie as they slowly carry Harry down the stairs. It is so strange to hear them speak about Harry like he is a  _ patient  _ and not a person. Not Louis’ husband. Not his entire world. Having everything that happened be summarized in a few short sentences or phrases just seems inherently  _ wrong _ . 

“Sir. We are going to take him to the hospital. Do you want to ride in the ambulance or take your own car?” A voice breaks into Louis’ thoughts pulling him out of his haze a tiny bit. 

“Ambulance. I don’t want to leave him,” Louis says, a single tear trailing down his face. He feels cold despite the warmness of the apartment and his heavy winter coat. 

“Okay, we need to get moving.” Louis follows them down the stairs, out of the house, and into the ambulance. They are talking about Harry, but Louis can’t hear them. He can’t comprehend what they are saying. He feels so numb trying to process everything. He can’t. It feels like everyone around him is moving in slow motion yet everything is happening so quickly. He tries to keep up. Formulate thoughts of what is going on. Harry is sick. Their babies may be in danger. Harry is in danger. What if he dies? What if Louis loses him? He can’t lose Harry. Harry is his world. Harry is his home. Oh god, what if he loses him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments are always welcome!  
> Follow me on my social media for updates or just to chat xx  
> Twitter: @Wicked_Archer  
> Tumblr: wicked-archer


	8. Take Me Instead

“Male patient. 28 years of age. 27 weeks gestation. Triplets. Syncope. Complaining of paralysis on right side as well as weakness and numbness,” the paramedic tells the on call doctor as they quickly roll Harry through the doors. That’s the second time they have said that about Harry, and it still sounds so clinical to Louis’ ears. He hates it. At some point during the ambulance ride, they have put an oxygen mask over this strong jaw. They are now pumping the bag rhythmically, giving Harry much needed oxygen. His lips aren’t blue anymore, but they aren’t their normal shade either. Somewhere in between life and death. Louis runs with them, not wanting to leave his husband for any amount of time. 

“This the husband?” The doctor asks, nodding towards Louis. One of the paramedics gives a quick nod in response. “Get him out of here.” At that Louis feels two strong hands grip his shoulders, pulling him back and away from Harry for the second time. Louis releases his hand, letting Harry’s slip through his fingers. It feels like it’s in slow motion. One second, Harry’s hand is in his, the next it is gone. No. This can’t be happening. “No! I can’t leave him! No!” Louis shouts at his captor, flailing his limbs wildly to get the hands to release their grip, but they hold firm. He is now being held off the ground to stop him from kicking out, but that doesn't keep him from trying.  He kicks his legs, moves his arms, and throws his head back, but nothing works. If anything, his hold tightens. 

“Sir. Please, let the doctors take care of your husband,” a calm, gentle voice says directly in his ear. 

“I’ve gotta be with him. You don’t understand. He needs me! They need me!” Louis yells, flailing again, tears streaming down his face. His heart feels as though it may beat straight out of his chest and his stomach feels as though it has dropped to the region of his feet. He watches through tear filled eyes as they take Harry and their babies through a set of swinging double doors and out of sight. Louis may just vomit. His stomach is in knots. He feels so hopeless and alone. Helpless. Fuck, so fucking helpless. 

He's never been more terrified of anything in his entire life. Terrified of losing the four most precious things in his entire existence. He should have been there. He should have been able to help them, to save them. He wasn't though, and he can't. What kind of person can't protect his own husband? What kind of father can’t protect his own children? He’s useless. So fucking useless. The truth burns his throat like acid. He just needs to get to them. He needs Harry to know that he loves him. That he will do anything for him. Fuck, he would give his last breath for Harry to have just one more. 

“Sir. What he needs right now are the doctors, and for you to give the nurses his information. You can’t do that if they sedate you. Can you do that for him? Can you be that for him?” The man says from behind him, still gripping firmly. Louis gives one last final attempt at freeing himself, throwing his whole body against the man. Once the man’s words sink in, all the fight leaves Louis like a balloon being released of its air. The man’s right. Louis can’t do anything to help Harry except giving them his information and making sure they call Dr. Burns. They have to save him though. They have to save his Harry, no matter what. He doesn't want to lose any of them, but he is firm in his choice to save Harry above all others. 

“Yeah, okay,” he says finally, voice barely above a whisper. It sounds foreign and hollow to his own ears. He finally lets his body go limp, giving up. The man releases him slowly, as if he doesn't trust Louis not to take off in a sprint after his husband, but Louis won’t. It’s too late. He doesn't know where they took him or even what they are doing to him. That thought alone makes him feel sick all over again. He sinks to the floor shaking and crying. He knows he is making a scene, but he doesn't care. He just wants Harry back. He wants his beautiful, thriving husband, who puts flowers in his hair, tells terrible jokes, and eats ridiculously healthy food. 

“Sir, do you think you can come with me?” A nurse says, dropping down to a knee beside Louis, placing a warm hand on his shoulder. Louis looks up, and she smiles kindly, like she understands his pain. She can’t possibly. Has she ever had not one but four people she would die for have their lives on the line? Probably not. Not many people have. He nods dumbly at her, not completely comprehending what she was saying. “Come on, let’s get you up.” She stretches out a hand to Louis, and he takes it. Her hand is small, so unlike the hand he is used to holding. The hand he was just forced to let go of. 

“Sir. I know you’re in shock, but I need to know you and your husband's name,” she says leading him over to the triage desk. 

“My name is Louis and my husband is Harry. Our last names are hyphenated. Styles-Tomlinson,” he tells her, attempting to get his brain to focus. 

“Okay. Good. Thank you.” She smiles, typing something into the computer. The next fifteen minutes are spent like that, with her asking him questions about Harry and his health history. Louis does his best to answer them accurately, but there is just some stuff that he doesn't know or that his muddled brain seems to not remember. He needs to call Anne. She would probably know obscure details like how old Harry was when he was he was tested for the male pregnancy gene, or how old he was when he broke his arm trying to save a bunny from a dog. Louis is useless. He is a terrible husband. He should know all of these things. 

At some point she asks another nurse to contact Dr. Burns as she questions him. Louis starts to calm down quite a bit. Someone had even brought him a hot coffee, which he is sipping on gratefully, but not really tasting it. It does nothing to warm the ice in his veins nor does it erase the images of Harry’s lifeless body that keep flashing through his mind every time he blinks or shuts his eyes for more than a millisecond. “Well that’s all the information I need for now, Mr. Styles-Tomlinson. You can have a seat in the waiting area and the doctor will come find you when they know more. 

“Okay,” Louis nods, his voice low and raspy from his crying and screaming. He staggers his way over to the waiting room, looking around at the other people. Most don’t seem too worried, but others have the same hallow look in their eyes as Louis. Some stare at him and others politely look away, acting as if the ugly white wallpaper is interesting. Louis sighs and begins making phone calls, cold dread already pooling in his stomach, making acid rise up in his throat. How he has managed not to puke is a fucking miracle. He starts with Anne; she is Harry’s mom after all. Anne promises to call Gemma, so he doesn't have to, for that he is thankful. By the fourth retelling of the story, this time to Niall, it all seems like a dream or more of a nightmare, really. Like he is observing his life from outside his own body. Like it’s happening in a movie and not really happening to him. 

In that moment, he wishes it were true, that this wasn't happening to him and his family. He wishes he could wake up from this nightmare or turn off the fucking movie. Not everything in life has a happy ending, like in movies. Louis knows this for a fact, and it is that thought that terrifies him most. This isn't a fucking movie. This isn’t a book. This is real fucking life where people die every single day. What would make Harry any different? What makes his life more secure than any other? Is Louis’ life worth living without Harry in it? No. The answer would always be no. Harry is his anchor. He keeps him grounded when he thinks he will float away. Harry is his world. His home. Without Harry, he would have no reason to continue on. His body may continue to survive until he put it out of its misery, but he wouldn’t ever truly live again. 

“Lou!” Anne’s frantic voice breaks into his subconscious pulling him from his dark thoughts. He doesn't even remember what he said on the phone. He knows that he didn't cry. He hasn’t since he gave up. He feels too numb. He stands up just in time for Anne to fling her arms around him, wrapping him in a motherly hug. He lets her warmness seep into him, finally removing some of the chill that has taken over his entire being. 

“Anne. I’m so sorry,” he says, barely covering a sob. 

“Oh, Lou. Don’t blame yourself. These things happen. He is having triplets. Everything can’t be perfect,” Anne tells him, holding his cheeks between her hands, staring into his eyes. She smiles, her dimple popping and looking so much like Harry, it hurt Louis’ chest. She’s wrong though. It is his fault. All his fault. He should have never left him alone. He should have called the ambulance sooner or ran up the stairs faster. Instead he thought Harry was just joking or excited, so he took his good old fucking time. It  _ is  _ his fucking fault, and he'll never be able to forgive himself if-- if something happens to him-- to them. “Have they told you anything?” 

“No,” Louis says sadly, sighing and pulling away. He sinks down into the chair behind him, his shaking legs not able to hold him for another second. 

“I’m sure they will tell us as soon as they know more.” Anne sinks down into the chair beside him, putting her arm around his shoulder and pulling him close. She runs her fingers through his hair as she holds him close, like she would do if it were Harry. Louis doesn’t cry, but he welcomes the hold. He wants his own mom, but Anne is the next best thing.  The pair fall into companionable silence as they wait for the doctor or for another member of their family to show up. 

 

_______________

 

Hours later, but it feels like an eternity, Louis is still in the waiting room, now joined by Anne, Jay, Gemma, Liam and Niall. They were all trying to distract him and keep spirits high, but eventually gave up. Louis wasn’t making it easy for them, mostly ignoring their attempts. He vaguely registers that Niall and Gemma have been curled up on one of the larger seats for the better part of an hour, quietly talking to each other. Jay and Anne are both clutching coffees in their hands, not saying much, just holding each other. Liam has been walking a lot, pacing back and forth or just walking down the corridor. It seems like he feels he needs to walk or he will cry. Crying may be better, Louis isn’t sure. 

He is mostly just sitting in a chair, rocking back and forth, clutching himself and attempting not to close his eyes. He can’t close his eyes. If he does he will just relive his nightmare all over again. If he doesn't focus on remembering to breathe and the motion of rocking himself backwards and forwards his mind will take over. The thought of every possible worst case scenario will swallow him whole and the sight of  Harry’s blue lips and his pale skin, as they put him on that stretcher is already more than he can bear. He will never forget the coolness of his skin or the way his green eyes closed one final time. Louis blinks back tears, refusing to cry again. 

“Mr. Styles-Tomlinson?” Fucking finally. Louis’ head snaps up so quickly, he fears he may have injured himself. Lucky they are in a fucking hospital. He stands up, moving towards the man who has called his name. He is wearing blue scrubs and a white lab coat. Anne and Jay follow close behind, but the others stay in their seat, sensing that it isn’t their place. For that Louis is grateful.

“Yes?” Louis says quickly, voice horse from disuse. 

“I’m Dr. Cox. I am the oncall doctor that has been handling your husband’s case. Dr. Burns has arrived, but she is still attending to him.” Louis shakes his hand even though he wants to scream at the man to just get to the fucking point already. 

“Hi,” Louis says politely. “Is he…” He swallows dryly. “Is he okay? Are they okay?” It is the question that has been plaguing his mind for hours. The one that has been racing through his thoughts at lightspeed. Louis suddenly feels as though he may vomit again.

“Yes. We think he is going to be fine. When he was asleep earlier in the day, one of the babies began compressing his sciatic nerve and the inferior vena cava, which is a main blood flow artery. This explains the numbness, paralysis, and pain. We believe he lost consciousness as a result of both dehydration and restricted blood flow. We have given him fluids. He has regained the feeling in his right side since his repositioning caused the babies to shift away from the nerve and the arty. He is still in some pain, but he is fine,” the doctor informs them with kind eyes and a gentle tone. Louis releases a breath he has probably been holding since this all began, dropping to his knees in the middle of the hallway. The tears he has been suppressing break free, and he finally allows himself to feel. To think. To breathe. Harry is okay. Their babies are okay. They're ok. 

“Thank you, Dr. Cox,” Anne says politely, but Louis barely hears it. His mom is whispering something in his ear. He thinks it is about Harry, but He can’t be certain. He feels as though a weight has been lifted from his chest allowing his heart to beat freely again. He can feel he is shaking as a tissue is thrust into his hand. He wipes his eyes as two strong arms, pull him from the floor. He thinks it may be Niall, but he can’t be sure. 

“Can I- can I see him?” Louis asks through his sniffles, looking the doctor in the eye. 

“Yes immediate family is allowed in the room at this time, and only two guest at a time,” the doctor tells them, looking around at the array of faces in the waiting area, listening to him speak. 

“Lou. You go in first, by yourself. I think you need to. Me and Gemma can go in once you’re finished,” Anne says, kindly, hugging him tight at the news. 

“Are you sure? He’s your son,” Louis says, choking out another sob, letting his tears soak through Anne’s shirt. 

“He’s your husband and those are your babies. I am sure on this. Go see him. I know he is alright, so I can see him when you get back.” Anne rubs his back one final time then gently pushes him towards the Doctor. The doctor nods once, then motions for Louis to follow him. They go through some doors and down a hallway, finally ending up at room. 

“Alright. Here is his room. Call me if you need anything,” Dr. Cox says, nodding one last time then disappearing down another long hallway. 

Louis takes a few deep breaths and wipes his eyes, wanting to compose himself before he sees Harry. He doesn't know what to expect. All he can remember are blue lips, piss stained sheets, cold skin, and tangled hair. Taking one last deep breath, he turns the door handle slowly with shaking hands. He walks in gradually, as if there is a wild animal housed in the room that he doesn’t want to scare away. There is a curtain pulled around the door, so he peeks his head around. Harry is laying in bed, on his side, sleeping. There are all sorts of machines hooked up to him, beeping away. He has an IV in one long arm, and three bands wrapped around his rounded belly, probably monitoring each baby's’ heartbeat. Louis takes in his appearance. He notes the rise and fall of his chest, his red lips and his pink cheeks, all signs of life. He tries to muffle a sob as he gets closer, just wanting to touch him. He needs to know if he is real. If he isn’t just some figment of Louis’ fucked up imagination. That Harry is alive, and he hasn’t fabricated the last ten minutes of his life. 

The sound must have woken Harry up because his green eyes crack open, blinking sleepily at Louis. Louis tries to suppress his tears, keep his emotions in check, he really does. It just seems impossible when Harry is looking at him, alive and breathing. He had been preparing for the worst possible scenario, so having his husband blinking at him sleepily with a small smile splayed on his face was almost too much to bare. He covers his face attempting to hold in a sob as he gets even closer to the bed, almost afraid to touch. Afraid his hand will just go right through Harry because he is an incorporeal being. That Harry isn’t real and alive. 

“Lou. Come’re.” Harry’s voice is hoarse from disuse, but he sits up some, opening his arms wide for his husband despite the IVs pulling at his still transparent skin. Louis collapses in them. The angle is awkward, as they both adjust on the small space of the bed, but it’s Harry. His Harry. He starts sobbing into his husband, not being able to hold back his relief a minute longer. Harry is alive. He is touching him. He begins touching all over Harry’s body, and looking him over, as if committing him to memory. He runs his fingers through his tangled curls, then down his strong jawline. He rubs all over his chest and back, convincing himself that Harry is really alive. Finally, he brings one hand down to Harry’s protruding stomach, crying out again when he feels the babies move beneath his finger tips. 

“God. Harry. You’re okay. I was so fucking scared. I thought I lost you. I thought I lost all of you. It was my fault. Oh fuck. It was all my fucking fault. Oh God. You're okay.” Louis chanted the last part as his chest heaves from his cries, all of the emotion from the last several hours coming out in a mixture of fat tears, snot, and drool. He vaguely registers Harry petting his his back and running long fingers through his hair, whispering phrases.  _ It’s okay, Lou. I’m okay. The babies are okay. It’s not your fault. It couldn’t have been helped. Please, don’t blame yourself. You didn’t lose me, I’m right here.  _

Once Louis’ sobs quieten down into small hiccups, Harry’s voice floats throughout the room, strong and steady. “Lou, Love. Will you look at me?” Strong arms grab Louis shoulders, forcing his gaze to focus on Harry, green eyes boring into him. Louis doesn't want to though. He doesn't want to face him after what happened. After what he did, or more to the point, didn’t do. Harry must hate him. He must think he is going to be a terrible father. He couldn’t protect them. “This isn’t your fault. The doctors said there is nothing that you could have done to prevent it. We are so lucky that you found us in time. You’re our hero.” 

“No. Harry. I-I could have done something. I could have come home earlier or ran up the stairs as soon as you called. I- I could have…” 

“None of that. Please Louis. You did everything you were supposed to do.” Louis is about to protest when Harry cuts of the sentence with a gentle kiss, barely parting his lips so that Louis could taste him. He tasted like Harry. Exactly the same, prompting Louis to release a pathetic whimper. Harry breaks the kiss, placing their foreheads together so Louis is forced to look in his eyes once more. “Thank you. I love you,” he says, the honesty in the words acting like cool water to Louis’ heated skin. 

“I love you, too,” Louis whispers back, like a secret. 

“Hey none of that you two.” Louis hears a familiar voice from behind him. He jumps away from his husband, quickly standing up as if the bed is suddenly made of nails. 

“Oh, um, hi Dr. Burns,” Louis greets, waving meekly. His cheeks feel like they are on fire as he quickly wipes his eyes with his long sleeved shirt. 

“Hello, Louis. I see you’ve found your husband.” She smiles again, nodding towards Harry. 

“Yup, he found me alright,” Harry replies returning her smile. 

“You can sit beside him, if you prefer. I know it must have been hard not knowing,” she tells Louis, eyes apologetic. Louis sinks down on the small hospital bed beside Harry, careful not to jostle any of the machines he is hooked up to. He allows Harry’s warmth to seep into his side. Harry’s warmth. Harry is warm again. He wants to replace all of those terrible memories with new ones where Harry is alive and well. “I’m sure Dr. Cox already told you what happened.” At Louis’ nod, she continues, “All three babies have a strong heartbeat, so I don’t believe they are in any immediate danger, however, I want to keep Harry here overnight for observation. After which, we will release him, but he will be on bed rest for a week.”

“Bed rest?” Harry asks, obviously upset about this new development. 

“Yes. When you are pregnant with multiples, and you have been through this type of ordeal, it is best for you and the babies to rest.” 

“What does bed rest entail, exactly?” Harry’s brows are furrowed, and Louis can already tell he is displeased with this turn of events. 

“Exactly how it sounds. You should only get out of bed to go to the bathroom. Other than that, you should stay in bed, or in another resting position. Once the week is up, you will come to me for a follow up appointment. I will examine the situation, then determine whether you will be allowed to go back to your normal activities,” Dr. Burns explains firmly, her tone suggesting that any protests from Harry are futile. 

“Okay,” Harry sighs. They talk for a few more minutes about what Harry is allowed to do or  _ not _ allowed to do in the coming week before she bids them farewell, leaving them alone once more. 

“Don’t worry about the Baby Shower. I am sure they will be able to push it back to next weekend, given the circumstances,” Louis jumps in, knowing full well what Harry is about to ask. 

“Yeah,” Harry pouts, clearly upset about the change in plans. 

“I know you were looking forward to it, Haz, but this has to be done for the well being of you and our babies,” Louis emphasizes the last part by bringing one hand down to cup Harry’s exposed stomach, rubbing lightly between the monitors. 

“I know. It just sucks. I hate being coddled,” Harry tells him, prominent pout on his full lips. Louis almost laughs, but instead bends to kiss him, bringing that very same lip into his mouth to bite it. 

“Lou,” Harry whines. “She just said we couldn't have sex and now you’re teasing me.” Louis breaks the kiss letting out a loud laugh. His first laugh in what feels like forever. Fuck he missed his husband. The fear from before comes rushing back to him, but he pushes it away, telling himself that Harry is okay. 

“You’re right baby, I’m sorry. Do you wanna see your mom and Gemma?” Louis asks. 

“Yeah. Who else is here?”

“My mom, Niall and Liam. They said only immediate family though,” Louis informs. 

“Well that’s stupid. Your mom is like my mom. Niall and Liam are both like brothers to us. If they aren’t family, then I don’t know what is,” Harry points out. 

“I know. I agree, but it’s the hospital's rules. Do you want me to go get them. Only two visitors are allowed at a time.” Harry looks like he is considering this for a moment, clearly torn over wanting to see his mom and sisters but not wanting Louis to leave his side. Finally, Louis helps him make the decision. 

“I need to grab something to eat any ways, I haven't had dinner yet,” Louis says. It’s the truth; he hasn’t eaten anything since lunch, but he probably wouldn’t actually eat. His stomach still feels like he drank acid, but Harry doesn't need to know that. 

“Alright,” Harry replies. 

“I’ll be back as soon as I can. I will stay the night,” Louis promises, standing up. 

“You don’t have to do that…” 

“Yes. I do. I want to. I want to be with you tonight,” Louis says, then kisses him. His lips are warm and wet beneath his own, and Louis basks in it. Before Harry can protest again, Louis is out the door, heading back in the direction of the waiting room, feeling much lighter than he did when he came through the first time. 

“How is he?” Anne asks as soon as he walks through the doors to the waiting room, all worried expressions on him. 

“He’s fine. He looks much better. They are keeping him in tonight for observation then he will be on bed rest for at least a week,” Louis tells the group. All of them look relieved at his words. He is sure Anne and Jay have already told them what the doctor said, but they may have been waiting for Louis to see him to believe it. Louis understands that. 

“That’s great,” Niall says, grabbing him into a tight hug. 

“Yeah. I mean it was scary, but, fuck, I’m just glad they’re okay. Gemma and Anne you can go back and see him now,” Louis tells his mother and sister-in-law. They both smile gratefully as he gives them the room number. 

“You need to eat.” Jay turns to Louis, pinching his cheek. Eating means leaving the hospital, and Louis really doesn't want to. 

“No. I’m fine. I’m not hungry,” Louis assures, pulling away from his mom’s hold. 

“Yes. You need to eat. Look, I’ll go to your house and get some stuff for you and Harry like a change of clothes because I know you’re not leaving him here tonight. You go with your mom and Niall to grab something to eat,” Liam reasons. 

“No. I don’t want to leave.” Louis shakes his head. He just got Harry back, why would they think he would want to leave him again?  

“Lou, you need to keep your strength up,” Jay says, using her ‘mom’ voice that Louis despises. It never fails to make him feel like a child, even though he is a 31 year old man expecting three of his own. 

“Gems and Anne are with him now. He will be fine for you to leave for half an hour, tops,” Niall adds and Louis doesn’t miss the nickname for Gemma that falls easily from his tongue. He makes a mental note to ask Niall about that later. 

“Fine,” Louis sighs, knowing his mom, Liam, and Niall weren’t going to drop this. He probably should eat. He feels weak, but for some reason he thinks it has nothing to do with the lack of food and everything to do with his husband laying in a hospital bed. 

 

__________

 

Harry is so fucking tired of being in this bed. He has been treated as if he is made of glass all fucking week by his family, friends, and worst of all his husband. He feels like a goddamned porcelain doll, not a grown ass man. He hates all of the coddling. Despises it really. If he doesn't get out of this bed soon, he may actually kill someone, which is saying something since Harry isn’t an aggressive man by nature. He just wants to do things for himself. Being a normally active guy, this mandatory relaxation is literally killing him. He hates being waited on. He hates only getting up to use the bathroom. He hates it all. And wasn't laying in bed what landed him in the hospital in the first place? He would never understand this logic.

“Please just let me get my own fucking tea?” Harry begs, not for the first time this week. 

“Hazza, we’ve been over this. You aren’t allowed.” Louis sighs. Louis has taken most of the week off work. If he couldn’t manage it, then he would send someone to  _ babysit  _ Harry like he was a fucking invilid. He may as well be at this point. He did wet the bed like a child, he may as well be treated like one. He pouts as Louis leaves the room coming back a few minutes later with a steaming cup of tea in both hands. He sits one carefully on Harry’s bedside table. 

“I hate this, Lou,” Harry whines. It may be a bit much, even Harry knows he is being annoying, but he doesn't have much else to do at this point. He finished his work for the week on Wednesday, so he has had nothing else to preoccupy his time with. 

“I know. You have the appointment tomorrow with Dr. Burns. Hopefully she will declare you in good health, then you can go back to your normal yoga doing self. Until then, though, you are to stay in this bed.  _ No. Exceptions. _ ” Louis’ voice is stern when Harry allows his features to fall into yet another pout. 

“This fucking blows Louis. We can’t even have sex, and I’m so fucking horny. You have no idea. I can’t even see myself to wank properly, not that I’ve been alone long enough to do that anyway,” Harry rants, getting more and more frustrated at the situation as the seconds ticked by. He watches Louis suppress a smile at his outrage. To Louis’ credit though, if Harry didn’t know him so well, he would have never caught the slip.

“I know it sucks, baby. It’s hopefully only one more day though,” Louis reasons, sitting on the bed and patting his leg. It’s not soothing. It’s fucking annoying. 

“You don’t know, Louis.” Harry counters,  crossing his arms in front of his chest, resting them on the expanse of his belly as he glares at his husband. 

“Look. Why don’t we um…” Louis looks around the room, probably trying to find a distraction for Harry. It won’t fucking work. “Why don’t we make our list of baby names!” Louis exclaims like he has found the Lost City of Atlantis. Harry does like the idea though. They do need to pick out names, so it’s not a bad idea to go ahead and do that while Harry is incapacitated. 

“Fine,” Harry gives in, knowing his husband isn’t actually going to let him get out of this bed unless it's strictly necessary. 

“Awesome,” Louis says enthusiastically. A little too enthusiastically for Harry’s liking. Louis gets off the bed, finding a sheet of paper, a pen and a book to lean on each. They sit in companionable silence as they think about this very important decision. Harry, however has been thinking about this for months, so feels slightly more prepared.

 

_ London _

_ Sunshine _

_ Olivia _

_ Galaxy _

_ Rayne _

_ Clementine  _

_ Shania _

_ River  _

_ Lily _

_ Persephone  _

_ Sapphire _

_ Bille-Violet _

_ Topanga _

 

He starts listing, pausing every few minutes to erase one or add to it, maybe even spelling it differently. He is so curious as to what Louis is listing, but he stops himself from peeking, wanting the whole thing to be a surprise. Once he finishes with the girl’s names, he draws a line on the paper, listing boy names.

 

_ Rio _

_ Lucius  _

_ Stevie _

_ Onyx _

_ Caedon _

_ Orion _

_ Alfie _

_ Sebastian _

_ Reginald _

_ Phoenix  _

_ Poseidon _

_ Ringo _

 

He scans his list, happy with what he has chosen. He can already see Louis’ bright blue eyes rolling into the back of his head at some of his choices. Louis will probably call them something along the lines of ‘Hippie, flower child names that do not need to be given to any self respecting child’. Harry won’t let the comments bother him. Truth be told he may have added one or two to the list just to rile Louis up. Louis is hot when he is being sarcastic, afterall. 

“Okay. Ready?” Harry asks, once he sees Louis has sat down his own pen. Louis nods, so they trade lists on the count of three. Harry’s green eyes scan over Louis’ messy scrawl, taking it in.

 

_ Samantha  _

_ Katrina _

_ Rosemary _

_ Darcy _

_ Madeline _

_ Matilda _

_ Isabella _

_ Gabriella  _

_ Sophia _

_ Elizabeth _

_ Fiona _

 

Harry should have known Louis would go with names he could shorten. Louis’ entire family loves nicknames, so have a child with a name that can’t be shortened almost seems criminal. He also isn’t surprises that Louis seemed to pick more traditional names, however, he sees a few that he really likes. Some actually surprise him. His eyes wander over to the side of the boy’s names.

 

_ Charles _

_ Edward _

_ James  _

_ William _

_ Zayn _

_ Andrew _

_ Michael  _

_ Stanley  _

_ Joshua  _

_ Matthew _

 

“Okay. I am already vetoing Sebastian.” Louis’ raspy voice breaks through Harry’s concentration, prompting him to turn all of his attention towards his husband. It takes a moment for Louis’ comment to sink in.  

“What? Why? What’s wrong with Sebastian?” Harry asks a bit taken aback by Louis’ dislike of the name. 

“Because, Harold, our kid isn’t going to hang out with a fish called Flounder and sing about living under the sea,” he says the last part with a really terrible Jamaican accent causing Harry to release a loud honk of laughter. The kind of laugh he feels like he hasn’t done in weeks. The one that only Louis’ clever sense of humor can bring out in him. He claps his hand over his mouth, kind of unsure where the noise even came from. Louis just smiles at him, smugly. Harry loves him so much. 

“Fine. No Sabastian then,” Harry replies, barely suppressing a smile. He goes back to studying Louis’ list, marking out ones that he hates and putting a small star beside the names that he likes. 

“I’m vetoing Rosemary,” Harry says after a few moments, scrunching up his nose at the name. 

“Why?” 

Harry decides to give Louis a taste of his own sarcasm. “Because Lewis, our baby isn’t going to be an 80 year old woman who has seventeen cats and a best friend named Wilma.” 

“Wilma! There’s a name!” Louis exclaims with a shit eating grin, and Harry hates him. Well, not really, but he does. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments are always welcome!  
> Follow me on my social media for updates or just to chat xx  
> Twitter: @Wicked_Archer  
> Tumblr: wicked-archer


	9. Cabbage

“Come on, Lou! Will you hurry up!” Harry yells for the second time in less than two minutes. Louis rolls his eyes, looking in the mirror one more time. God forbid they be late to their own fucking baby shower. He isn’t even sure he wants to go. Playing a bunch of stupid games with random people, some of which he barely knows, doesn’t sound like a good time to him. He tries to keep his sarcasm to a minimum though because this is the first thing Harry has been allowed to do since going off bed rest, and he would actually murder Louis if he ruined it with his own attitude. He is just tired. He has been stressed from work, and he doesn't think he has mentally gotten past the scare with Harry just over a week ago. 

“I’m coming,” Louis calls back. He is pretty sure Harry could  _ hear  _ his eye roll, but he can’t help it. Harry had him up all night because he had to use the bathroom one million and forty-seven times. So yes, Louis is tired and grumpy. Sarcasm is flowing from his pores like sweat on a hot summer's day. He almost doesn't care, but he needs to at least act like he is excited for Harry. Afterall, he doesn't actually want to die today. He slowly makes his way down the stairs, probably pissing his husband off even more. 

“We’re gonna be late.” Louis is right, Harry is pissed. His arms are crossed over his chest, resting on his bump. He has one hip cocked to the side, tapping a foot, but his eyes,  _ fuck his eyes _ , could burn Louis alive with the intensity of his stare. Harry is normally a very gentle person. It takes a lot to make him mad, and Louis thinks he just succeeded without even trying  _ really _ . 

“Haz, we are the guests of honor. I think it will be okay if we are just a tiny bit late,” Louis tries to sooth his husband. He comes all the way down the stairs and places gentle hands on either side of Harry’s rather large bump. Dr. Burns was correct. It has gotten much bigger over the past few weeks. Louis couldn’t get enough of it. He always wanted to touch Harry’s belly. Now that Harry’s mandatory bed rest was over, Louis was excited to get back to their normal sexual activities, both missing the intimacy. Maybe that’s it. Maybe Louis is just really fucking horny, and it is the cause of his bad mood. 

“I still don’t wanna be late, Louis. You know how much I hate tardiness,” Harry pouts, so Louis kisses him, trying to avoid an argument if at all possible. 

“Then let’s get going.” Louis helps Harry into his coat then they are out the door. 

“Jesus fucking christ, I’m sweating. Can I roll down the window?” Harry asks, turning down the heater in the car. 

“Haz, it is fucking freezing outside, do you want me to die of hypothermia?” Louis asks, locking the windows, so Harry can’t control his. It’s a dick move, but he is already shivering. He doesn't want his fucking hands to freeze to the steering wheel despite his warm gloves.

“What the fuck, Lou? Please let me roll down my window. I’m so hot,” Harry swipes a hand across his forehead dramatically, so Louis rolls his eyes and cracks Harry’s window a bit, letting the cold winter air into their just now warming vehicle. 

“Happy?” 

“Yes, but, fuck, my stomach itches so much today. Should have put lotion on it before we left, and my ankles are already so swollen,” Harry gripes, and Louis beings tuning him out. Of course Harry is going to start getting uncomfortable, he is almost 7 months pregnant with fucking triplets. That shit’s not going to be a walk in the park. Louis is getting tired of Harry’s constant complaining, and he’s been in a shit mood all morning. If he could do anything about his ailments, he would, but unfortunately the only thing that can be done is to not be pregnant anymore and that’s not an option. Louis hates feeling helpless and that is exactly how Harry makes him feel when he complains. Harry probably doesn’t mean to and just needs to rant, but it is frustrating.

Louis lets Harry continue to express his frustration over his ankles, itchy skin, sweating, exhaustion, and the list goes on and on. He nods at all of the appropriate spots, at this point perfecting his ‘apologetic husband’ look. He sighs in relief, watching his breath leave his lungs because of the temperature in the car, when they pull into the parking lot of the venue. There seems to be a parking spot right in front saved for them. Louis and Harry aren’t sure what to expect as they get out of the car. They have been told absolutely nothing about the theme or any of the games. Even though it seems they are the last to arrive, Harry doesn’t say anything to Louis about it. He just smiles, takes Louis’ gloved hand, and starts walking towards the entrance. 

As soon as they open the door, Louis knows the theme. It seems that their friends have decided to keep the Harry Potter theme going. There are four tables set up, each decorated with the colors of the individual Hogwarts House the table represents. In several places around the room, owls are hanging from the ceiling with baby bundles grasped in their beaks. At the front of the room is a makeshift owl lectern. To the left is the refreshments, Harry Potter themed of course: cauldron cakes, pumpkin pasties, cupcakes with various decorations, and butter beer (non-alcoholic of course). On the right hand side of the room, a table is set up with large hour glasses filled with fake jewels: blue, green, red, and yellow. Louis must admit, he is impressed. 

“Hey guys! Glad you made it,” Liam waves and smiles. Then he nods to Niall. 

“Now that all of the witches and wizards are here, we may begin the sorting,” Niall yells to the room, stepping up the the lectern. “Each person will be sorted into a Hogwarts House. Once sorted, please sit at the appropriate table. We will then all compete in various games, the team with the most House points at the end of the shower will get a prize. Our Head Mistresses, Jay and Anne, are going to judge which team wins these games, keep track of house points, and make sure there is no cheating. Cheating will cause you to lose points, and I wouldn’t mess with the Head Mistresses if I were you. They are not afraid to stun your asses if they get out of line.”  

When everyone nods and laughs at Niall’s joke, Liam takes over. “We are gathered at Hogwarts today to celebrate the arrival of two little witches and one little wizard into the world. Giving life is the definition of magic. The next year will bring difficult trials and tribulations, but also moments full of magic, wonder, and joy. Capture these moments like moving pictures and keep them in your pensive, because they will be special. These babies don’t need a Felix Felicis potion, because they are the luckiest kids in the world to have parents like you.” Louis blinks back tears from Liam’s words, trying to keep his emotions in check around so many strangers, but Harry is openly sniffling. Louis grips him tight and pecks his lips. Harry is going to be an amazing parent. 

“Now we may begin the Sorting Ceremony. First, we are going to sort the parents. Harry and Louis, please join us at the front of The Great Hall,” Niall says, pulling a replica of the sorting hat out of nowhere. Maybe Niall really is magical. 

“Okay,” Harry smiles, dimples popping, and Louis doesn’t remember why he was even in a bad mood before. He always wants to see Harry smile like this. They make their way up to the front of the room, guests from various walks of life watching their every move. Thankfully Louis doesn't mind being the center of attention, or it may have actually made him uncomfortable. He helps Harry sit in the chair. For dramatic effect, Niall slowly lowers the Sorting Hat on top of Harry’s curls. Louis is surprised to hear the voice of the actual sorting hat yell the word ‘Ravenclaw’ from a surround sound speaker system he didn’t even know was in the room. He isn’t surprised that Harry is a Ravenclaw. Everyone knows which house Harry belongs in, but Harry still beams as if he is actually being sorted. Gemma then steps up, giving Harry a ravenclaw scarf which he quickly wraps around his neck. Louis helps Harry up then watches as Harry goes to sit at the Ravenclaw table. 

Now it’s Louis’ turn. Liam doesn’t even let Niall put the hat fully on Louis’ head before the. surround system is shouting ‘Slytherin!’ Louis isn’t surprised. That is the house he was sorted into on Pottermore afterall. His friends know he is very ambitious and can be clever. He takes his scarf and heads over to the Slytherin themed table. Once he gets there, he makes eye contact with Harry and smirks. He puts two fingers up to his eyes, the points them at Harry as if to say ‘I've got my eye on you.’ By way of response, Harry pretends to be shaking in fear, a cheeky smile on his face. Louis watches as the rest of the guest are sorted into appropriate houses. It seems that Liam and Niall did their best to keep the characterization of each individual person in mind as well as trying to make the teams evenly distributed. 

“Harry and Louis will be the Head of House for their individual houses. Liam here will be the Head of House for Gryffindor, and I will serve for the Puffers,” Niall announces once everyone has been sorted. Louis is pleased to see Gemma is on his team. He and Gemma work well together and both love taking down her brother. Louis’ competitive streak suddenly comes alive, and he wants to fucking win. He can tell by the glint in Harry’s eye that he feels the same. 

“Okay! So for the first game, we will be playing Care of Magical Creatures! On each table, there is a dry erase board with a quill. When either myself or Anne call out the names of animals, each team will get 1 minute to discuss what the baby for that animal is called then write their answer on the board. Each correct answer receives a house point. As the questions get harder, they will be worth more points!” Louis quickly finds their dry erase board and ‘quill’ which is really just a marker, with the cut out of a feather glued to it, but details. At the top of their board is the world Slytherin in bold green lettering. Louis is ready. 

The animals start off easy enough: Dog, Cat, Cow, and Chicken. Not a single wrong answer yet. Louis growls when Harry's team is the only one to get the correct answer for a baby Owl. Louis calls bullshit though because who the shitting hell would think a baby owl is called an ‘owlet’? Who the actual fuck makes this shit up? He cheers when his team is the only one to guess correctly for a baby Platypus. The only reason Louis knew that a baby platypus is called a ‘puggle’ was the fact that he watched way too much Phineas and Ferb while he was in college and got curious one day. 

Louis’ and Harry’s teams start to pull ahead of the Puffs and Gryffs, so by the final round where each questions is worth 5 house points, things are heated between the Claws and the Snakes. “The next animal is a Seahorse,” Anne says, reading off of her scroll. Yes it is an actual fucking scroll complete with brownish papers, and the two rolls at either end. 

“Fuck. I have no clue,” Gemma whispers to the group. Louis has a feeling that Fizzy will know this one. She loved sea creatures when she was younger since she was obsessed with The Little Mermaid. Fizzy was sorted into Ravenclaw with Harry. Fuck. He glances over at Harry’s table to see that they have already written the answer and have the board laying face down at the end of the table, smug smile on Harry’s lips. Louis kind of wants to kiss it off and kind of wants to rip his actual lips from his face, but they are such pretty lips, so it almost seems like it will be a shame. 

“30 seconds,” Jay warns, looking at her watch. Now Louis panicking, looking frantically around the table of faces. None of them look like they know the answer, so he sighs and with 10 seconds left, he writes the first thing that comes to mind. 

“Times up. Let’s hear them!” Anne announces looking around the room to make sure all markers are down. 

“We didn’t know so we just wrote ‘Baby Seahorse’,” Niall laughs, turning his team’s board around to see those exact words. 

“Sorry, but that is incorrect. Gryffindor?” 

“Umm… we couldn’t think of anything, so we left ours blank,” Liam says shrugging and holding up his blank board. 

“Slytherin?”

“Ocean Equestrian Calf,” Louis says flipping his sign around. He is almost positive he misspelled ‘Equestrian’, but it made people laugh. At least that’s something. 

“Good guess, but you are incorrect. Ravenclaws?” 

Harry looks at Louis, shooting him another smug smile as he flips their board over. “A baby Seahorse is called a Fry.” What the fuck? How the hell is Louis supposed to know that? What normal human being would know that a baby seahorse is called a fucking fry? That just sounds ridiculous. A fry is a food, or something one may do to food, but not the name of a baby fucking seahorse. 

“That is correct. Five points to Ravenclaw.” Anne smiles at her son while Jay places five sapphire gems into the Ravenclaw hourglass. Harry’s teams cheers, patting Fizzy on the back, just as Louis suspected. That traitor. 

“Okay. For the questions, what do you call a baby Frog?”

“Fuck. I know this one guys!” Louis whispers to his team furiously, grabbing the dry erase board and maker to write his answer. 

“Alright times up, let’s start with Ravenclaw this time,” Jay says, pointing at Harry. 

“Erm. We weren’t sure, so we just said a Froglet,” Harry looks skeptical as he turns the board around, the word written in his messy scroll. 

“Good guess, but that is incorrect,” Jay tells him and everyone chuckles when Niall throws his board on the table screaming ‘Goddamnit’. “Well I guess that takes care of Hufflepuff too. What about you Gryffindors?” 

“We said tads,” Liam answers, flipping his board around with a hopeful look on his face. 

“Very close,” Jay winces, “but incorrect. Slytherin? If you get this correct, you tie with the Ravenclaws.”

Louis smiles at Harry smuggly, knowing that he is going to get the answer right. “A baby frog is called a tadpole.” Louis turns his board around, showing everyone in the room proudly. 

“That is correct. A baby frog is called a tadpole. Five points to Slytherin.” Louis smiles and cheers with the rest of his team as they pat him on the back for knowing the answer. If the only reason Louis knew the name for that particular baby creature is because he looked it up recently, planning to call whichever child that looked most like Harry his little tadpole, no one needed to know.

“The total House Points for each team thus far are as follows: Gryffindor 38 points, Hufflepuff 46 points, with Ravenclaw and Slytherin tied in first place with 52 points. Now, onto the next game,” Anne announces, looking at her notes. 

“The next game we are going to play is called Change the Mandrake. Anne is passing out items that you will need to change your baby Mandrake.” Jay gestures towards Anne who is making her way around the room, giving each person a little diapered Mandrake, wipes, baby powders and a diaper. “Each team will line up around the their table and prepare to change their baby. Each House will get to decide the line up of their players. You cannot start changing your own Mandrake until the person before you has completely finished. If we see this happen, your House will be disqualified. You are allowed to verbally help anyone on your team but are not permitted to physically help them, or try to distract those from the other houses. The first house done will be awarded 75 points, 50 for second place, 25 for third, and fourth will receive no points.” 

Louis looks around at his team, some look eager and others look petrified at the thought of changing a diaper. He feels confident in this one. He has been changing diapers since he can remember, but he knows his husband hasn’t changed many in his life. Just the ones of Louis’ younger twin siblings and occasionally when they had baby sat Jameson. He quickly decides order and they rearrange themselves, Louis deciding to go last because he thinks he will be the quickest. 

As soon as Anne says go, everything is chaos. There is permanent cloud of baby powder in the room, and it smells very much like babies in general.  He watches helplessly as his team goes about quickly changing diapers. When one person struggles, he almost grabs it and does it himself, but stops himself, not wanting to be disqualified. Instead he settles for shouting directions at them across the table. He takes a look around, seeing that the Gryffindor’s are in the lead. Right as it’s his turn to change his Mandrake, he hears Liam shout done. Fuck. Stupid fucking Gryffindors. His hands fly around his Mandrake, grabbing everything from muscle memory as he competes for second place. He coughs on a cloud of baby powder, but keeps going. He and Harry shout ‘Done’ at exactly the same time quickly followed by Niall. 

“That one was close,” Anne says looking between the two tables. Her and Jay huddle together whispering about which House came in second. Louis holds his breath attempting to read their lips, wanting desperately to at least have finished second. He also very much wanted to kill Diane, one of Harry’s coworkers, for not knowing how to change a fucking baby, or Mandrake, or whatever the fuck it is. It’s not rocket science. Seriously. How can someone be  _ that _ incompetent?

“The winner is Gryffindor. Second place, and this one was a close one, goes to Slytherin…” Louis doesn’t listen to her next words because he starts jumping up and down and pumping his fist in success. Sure they didn’t win this one, but he is now ahead of Harry and the Ravenclaws. He doesn't know what the other games are, but he’s got this. He will win. 

 

__________

 

Harry is pissed that Louis’ team is now in second place, while his team is in third. He knows his husband has a competitive streak as big as the entire fucking galaxy, so he will not go down without a fight. It is probably worse considering Louis is the older brother to so many siblings, so he considers himself superior on all things baby to most of the people in this room, except maybe Jay. Harry glances towards Louis, who is still smugly smiling. He kind of wants to strangle him but then thinks better of it because he is going to need him in a few months when their babies are born. When Harry returns from the restroom, his fourth trip since the beginning of the shower, Jay begins explaining their next challenge. 

“The next game is called The Galleon is Right. Much like the first game, your house will work together to write down your answer. For this challenge, we will be calling out baby items and each team will have to guess how much they think this item will cost. The cost will be based on the average amount. You will get one minute to converse then write the answer. The team with the closest price, without going over will get house points. As the questions get more difficult, the higher the house points they are worth. Good luck.” At this information, Harry watches at the look of panic that crosses over his husband’s beautiful face. 

“Bet you wish you would have paid more attention when we were making our registry, huh?” Harry gloats, allowing a wide grin to take over his features. In lieu of answering, Louis flips him off with both hands, acting as if he is not internally freaking out over their new challenge. Harry knows Louis though. He can tell by the look in his eyes, the subtle twitch of his upper lip, and slight movement of his nimble fingers. Louis is worried he is going to lose. Harry, on the other hand, is excited. They are definitely going to get the points back. Liam and Sophia may be his biggest competition since they have Jameson, but Harry isn’t too concerned. He intertwines his fingers and stretches out his arms, allowing the joints to pop as he prepares to write on their board. 

Not surprising to anyone present, but things in the room get heated quickly. Harry and his House seem to be guessing their prices a bit high while Louis and the Snakes are guessing there's too low. Harry glares at the Hufflepuffs when they get yet another three House Points when they get the closest average price of a stroller. How the fuck are they doing it? He looks over at the table, taking in the faces and quickly figures it out. Both Sophia and Lottie are Puffs and both women know more than a thing or two about babies and how much they cost. Fuck. Harry was so concentrated on Louis as a competitor, he didn’t stop to actually consider the guests on the other teams. 

“The average price of Reusable Diaper Liners is ten dollars,” Anne says, listening to the Slytherin table cheer since their price was the closest without going over. Harry glares at his husband.

“Fuck,” Harry whispers under his breath because his group doubled that amount. 

“Yes, Hazza, not everyone feels the need to use Gucci Unscented 100% Bamboo Reusable Diaper Liners for their children,” Louis quips from behind him. Harry ignores him because he knows Louis is just trying to get a rise out of him. It’s working. At the sound of his voice though, one of the babies jabs him in the rib cage, causing him to wince a bit. His own child betraying him like that, the nerve.  

“You okay, baby?” Louis’ voice is softer this time, without the hint of sarcasm it has had pretty much all day. 

“Yeah. Fine. One just got me in the ribcage. I guess it is starting to get crowded in there,” Harry responds, rubbing the expanse of his stomach, smiling gratefully at his husbands concern. He loves that Louis can just switch like that. Going from playful and teasing one minute to concerned and loving in the next. 

“Oh. I’m sorry. Hopefully they will calm down soon,” Louis replies, reaching over and rubbing Harry’s stomach around his ribcage. 

“They love their dad’s voice,” Harry says, smiling. Louis returns his smile, then draws his attention to Jay who is getting ready to say the next item. Harry does the same, not wanting to miss it. The next few questions are difficult, but Harry’s team manages to get a few points, which he considers an achievement at this point. 

“Okay, last item. What is the price of a NoseFrida Aspirator?” Jay asks starting the timer. 

“Oh, I know this one. I just added it to the registry last week. That exact brand too,” Harry whispers happily, green eyes lighting up with the answer. He grabs the board and writes it down, knowing that he is correct.  

“Who the fuck knows the price of a NoseFrida Aspirator? Honestly? Where did you all find these items? On Harold’s registry?” Louis asks, outraged. Jay just laughs at her son’s antics, and looks down at her watch. 

“30 seconds,” she warns. Harry watches as Louis writes something down on his board with a small smile. If Harry had to bet money, he would say it is something sarcastic.  

“Alright let’s see them.” 

They all turn their boards around at the same time. “We said 15 dollars,” Liam says, looking down at his board. 

“We said 20,” Harry answers, not even glancing at his. 

“Same. We said 20,” Niall pipes in. 

“We said ‘probably some outrageous price since Harry knows the answer and he has the most expensive taste known to man’,” Louis smiles down at his board, holding it up for all to see. Harry has to laugh because it does in fact say all of that stuff, how Louis managed to write it in 30 seconds is beyond him. 

“The price is 20 dollars, so both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff take the points. That brings our totals to: Ravenclaw 142; Hufflepuff 138; Slytherin 135; and Gryffindor 128. Hufflepuff’s killed it in that round, but it could be anyone’s game,” Jay announces smiling at everyone. 

“Okay. For the last game, the Heads of the the Houses are going to be sitting out since they will be involved. You are all going to play Broomstick Bingo. Jay is passing out bingo cards with baby items on it. Watch carefully as Louis and Harry open their gifts, if you have an item on your paper that they have opened, you will put a broomstick over it. The first person to get a line must shout Broomstick Bingo. The first person will earn 50 points for their house, making them the winner. Harry and Louis please come up the front.” 

Harry starts to get up and he feels warm hands grab his arm to help him. It is getting much harder with all of the extra weight, so he is forever grateful for his husband’s help, even though he very much hates feeling as though he is made of glass. “Thanks love,” Harry tells him, smiling as they walk up to the front of the room. 

“I may talk a lot of shit, but you know that I am here to help you,” Louis tells him, low enough for only Harry to hear. He smiles at that because he does know.

They sit down in their designated seats and begin opening presents. They start with the pile of cards, many of them holding cash, checks, or gift cards to baby stores. Jay and Anne give them a joint card which holds a picture of a crib. They then proceed to tell them that they went in together and bought them three cribs that will be delivered to their house at some point next week. Harry cries because that is just so thoughtful. 

“Seriously, how are our newborns gonna wear all of this? They grow far too fast,” Louis whispers, glancing around at the ridiculous amount of preemie clothes that were bought. Harry nods, not wanting to offend anyone and their choice of presents. Louis’ company gives them a very sizable gift card that Harry thinks will cover the amount of the carseats they will need to purchase. 

“Broomstick Bingo,” a female voice shouts as Harry opens their first pack of diapers, the first super useful gift of the evening. Harry and Louis both look around to find out if it was someone from their team. Jay walks over to Lottie who is waving her paper around like a flag. Jay pulls down her reading glasses as she inspects the sheet, making sure that she did in fact have a line. 

“Hufflepuff wins the House Cup!” Jay announces holding up the sheet. Everyone at the Hufflepuff table starts cheering, Niall being the loudest as he jumps up and down almost dropping the clipboard he had been using to write down their presents and who gifted it to them. 

“What the fuck?!” Louis exclaims from beside Harry, and Harry shares that sentiment completely. “That is completely unfair. It takes zero fucking skill to win bingo. It is all fucking luck.”

“I agree with my husband!” Harry pipes in, also feeling outraged at the change of events. Ravenclaw was in the lead, damn it. 

“Sorry boys, it’s too late. We won, so you can suck it.” Niall sticks out his tongue because he is in fact an actual toddler. 

“Now gentlemen, calm down. I’m sorry Louis and Harry, but the rules are the rules. Hufflepuff has the most points and that was the last game, so Hufflepuff’s win,” Jay intervenes, using the voice that she only uses on her own children when they are out of line. “Hufflepuff please come and get your prizes after the shower.” Louis pouts beside Harry, crossing his arms and sticking out his bottom lip in the cutest way. Harry knows he can be competitive, but Louis is the sorest loser he has ever met. One time, early in their relationship, Harry had beat him at bowling and Louis had moped for days. It is both an infuriating and ridiculously endearing quality. 

Harry and Louis finish opening their presents, getting a variety of stuff, some even being straight from their registry, which Harry is surprised by. He figured their guests would just purchase whatever they pleased. They both thank everyone for coming out and for their gifts, and by the time the last of the guests who aren't family leave, Harry is completely exhausted. His lower back and feet hurt, all of his rings are now in Louis’ pocket because his hands were swelling so much. His hips and pelvis are also hurting and he wants nothing more than to go home and lay down. 

“Don’t worry about getting all the gifts to your place tonight, guys. Li and I will bring it over tomorrow,” Niall tells him, casually putting his arm around Gemma and pulling her close. Harry finds that he doesn't hate the action or want to kill Niall. Gemma looks happy, really happy. He would never want to take that look from her face. 

“Thanks guys. Hazza here looks exhausted. I’m pretty tired myself, and I’m not even carrying around three little ones,” Louis tells him, resting a hand on Harry’s stomach. 

 

__________

 

“I know you said you didn’t want anything special for your birthday this year, but you know I can’t do that,” Louis says walking down stairs. 

“Lou, you already took me to dinner and bought me a beautiful scarf and a new necklace. You’ve done enough,” Harry says smiling at the mention of his presents. Louis smiled too, remembering the way his husband cried for no apparent reason other than being happy. 

“I know, but this is a small thing. I promise you’ll love it,” Louis replies holding up his thumb and index finger to indicate just how small it is. 

“Okay.” Harry looks skeptical. 

“Follow me baby.” Louis holds out his hand, hoisting his half naked husband from the couch. As soon as they got home, Harry had complained about being too hot, and had taken off his shirt. Louis didn’t mind. It actually worked out well for his surprise. He held Harry’s hand as they went up the stairs and into their bedroom. Louis leads him into the bathroom and watches Harry’s reaction as he takes in the surprise. Louis has filled their very large bathtub with water, vanilla scented bubble bath (Harry’s favorite), and rose petals. The room is lit by a dozen or so candles, placed around the unused surfaces of the bathroom, giving it an otherworldly glow. 

“Lou,” Harry gasps, putting his hands over his mouth, his green eyes twinkling in the low light. 

“Happy Birthday, my love. I know baths aren't really good when you’re pregnant, which when you’re in a lot of pain is stupid if you ask me. I know how much your back and feet have been hurting lately, so I figured this would help,” Louis tells him, getting up on his tiptoes to kiss him gently on the lips. 

“I know you don’t like baths Lou, but will you get in with me?” Harry asks, eyes wide with his question. 

“Of course, I will. It is your birthday afterall,” Louis answers then begins stripping off his clothing, one item at at time. Harry watches him with hungry eyes. Now that Harry is no longer in any real danger, their sex life has gone back to mostly normal. They have had to change it up a bit to accommodate Harry’s growing mid-section, but it is still very regular. 

After Louis has stripped off all of his clothes, throwing them in random places behind him, he begins tugging on Harry’s bottoms, pulling them down his long legs and helping him carefully step out of them. Louis takes a moment to appreciate his husband’s appearance. His pale skin almost looks golden in the yellow lighting. It looks as if he has a glowing halo around his long curly hair. His green eyes are twinkling, and he is smiling so wide, both dimples are popping. Louis takes in the rest of his body, allowing his hungry gaze to rove over his curves, enjoying the contrast of light and shadow they create. Before pregnancy, Harry was never that curvy, but over the course of the last few months, his hips began widening just a bit, he gained a bit of weight in his backside that is perfect for grabbing, and of course his growing bump which Louis adores. It is a huge turn on. Everything about Harry is a huge turn on. Knowing that he has claimed him in the ultimate way does something to Louis and his cock twitches just thinking those thoughts. 

He places both hands on either side of Harry’s bump, then gets on his tiptoes needing to taste Harry’s lips. Harry moans into the kiss, quickly opening his mouth deepening it. They kiss for a few moments, just enjoying the feeling of intimacy in the low lighting of the bathroom. “Alright. Let’s get you into this bath.” Louis takes Harry’s hand, gripping it firmly and very gently helps him into the tub, not wanting his very pregnant husband to slip and fall. Once Harry is in and situated, Louis joins him, only splashing a tiny bit of water over the side, which he considers a success. He cradles Harry between his legs, pulling him gently so that his back is against his chest. Harry relaxes into the position immediately, as Louis softly strokes his taut stomach, letting the water and soap help with the glide. He smiles at the way Harry’s belly pokes up out of the water, like a mountain surrounded by clouds. 

“This is amazing, Lou,” Harry says after several minutes of quiet as the two men soak up the silence of the room, knowing full well that these moments won’t come very often, if they even do at all, once the babies are born.

“Good. I wanted your birthday to be special,” Louis replies, kissing the long column of Harry’s neck. A small sound comes from Harry that sounds encouraging and goes straight to Louis’ dick. Louis continues gently kissing and nipping at Harry’s neck, keeping the pace slow and unhurried. Soon, though, Harry begins squirming and moaning, lolling his head to the side to give Louis better access. Louis takes it, biting the spot where Harry’s neck meets his shoulder, then admires the small mark he makes. He is gripping Harry tighter, not wanting to let go. He begins rutting his now almost completely hard cock between Harry’s cheeks, moaning at the hot and wet slide of it. 

“Lou,” Harry whispers like a prayer, grinding his hips back onto Louis’ now impossibly hard cock, causing Louis to growl in Harry’s ear, biting harshly right under it. 

“Okay, baby,” Louis mummers, biting more and more each time, then reaching to where he hid the waterproof lube behind a bottle of Harry’s shampoo. Harry doesn’t even look at him as he pops the cap with one hand then squeezes some onto his fingers. He then dips his hand below the surface of the water, reaching between their bodies to run his finger over Harry’s already wet hole. Harry moans at the contact, pushing his hips down, forcing the tip of Louis’ finger to breach the tight ring of muscle. Louis moans at the tightness, desperately wanting to replace it with his aching cocks as soon as humanly possible. 

Using both the lube and the water surrounding them, he quickly works his way up to three fingers, fucking Harry agonizingly slow on them. Harry is now making the most desperate sounds, obscene and unabashed by his pleasure. The sounds echo around the walls of the bathroom, filling Louis’ ears and driving him mad with desire. Harry’s green eyes are closed, and his hips are slowly grinding with the rhythm of Louis’ fingers.

“Lou. Please. Fuck. I’m ready. Please get in me. I need you,” Harry pants. Louis slowly pulls his fingers out, purposely dragging across Harry’s prostate in the process, prompting Harry to almost scream in pleasure. Wordlessly, Louis uses the buoyancy of the water to lift Harry by his hips, slowly lowering him down onto his standing cock. Louis’ eyes roll back into his head at the intensity of Harry’s tight heat wrapped around his cock and the gentle glide of the water on his skin, as he tries to concentrate on letting Harry adjust. 

“Fuck, baby. You feel so good. So fucking tight for me.” Louis begins kissing and biting at Harry’s neck, needing something to do with his mouth and sucking on Harry’s neck seems to be the most obvious choice.  He feels it against his lips when Harry moans and feels it on his impossibly hard cock when Harry begins moving. Louis grips his hips tight, helping him work himself up and down on Louis length. Water is spilling over the side as they move together, but Louis doesn't actually fucking care because his senses are going crazy. All he sees is Harry’s hair and the expanse of his stomach as he moves in and out of the water. All he feels is the heat of the water and Harry around him. All he hears are Harry’s breathy moans and whines. All he tastes and smells are Harry’s skin and hair as he leaves more marks on the long column of his neck and shoulder. Harry. Harry.  _ Harry.  _

“Oh god, Lou,” Harry moans out when Louis pulls Harry’s hips down, landing hard on his cock, sending shock waves of pleasure through Louis’ system. 

“Yeah, baby? That feel good? You like riding on my cock? You like the water around us as you make it all dirty?” Louis mumbles in Harry’s ear listening as Harry cries out in response, shaking his head furiously at the question. “Answer me, love.” 

“Yeah. I love it,” Harry says barely loud enough for Louis to hear, a direct contrast to the sounds he was making just moments ago. 

“Love what, baby? You need to be a bit more specific,” Louis tells him, finishing the statement with a harsh bite on Harry’s shoulder. 

“Love riding your cock. Love the water, so warm.” Harry’s broken moans punctuate his sentence, but Louis doesn't increase the pace, wanting to fuck Harry slow and deep. 

“That’s it, baby, ride me. Make yourself come on my dick. Wanna feel it. Wanna see you make the water dirty, baby.” Louis reaches around their bodies, trapping Harry’s hard length between his hand and his protruding stomach, moving it very slowly, to match his thrusts. Louis watches, biting his lip to keep his approaching orgasm at bay, as the stretched butterfly tattoo inked into Harry’s skin, right below his ribcage, disappears under the surface of the water, then quickly reappears and Harry tries to increase the pace. Louis can't have that. 

“No. I want you to grind,” Louis growls right into Harry’s ear, hearing Harry whimper in response. He stops the motion of Harry’s hips with his free hand, then begins moving them back and forth, so Harry is grinding down on his is cock. Louis feels Harry’s tight heat drag against his length over and over again, at a slow, maddening pace. He wants to come so bad, it physically hurts. He swears he can feel his cock filling up with his release as his balls tighten against his body, despite the warmth surrounding them. 

“Oh god, Lou. Fuck. I’m so fucking close. Shit,” Harry says, not quickening his pace at all. Louis tightens his hold on Harry’s cock, giving him a bit more friction. 

“All I can feel is you Harry. All of my senses are filled up with you, and now I wanna fill you up, but you gotta come first, baby. Come on. Come for me,” Louis whispers, and actually feels it when Harry orgasms. The slow grind of his hips stutters, and his whole body tightens around him. He cries out as he pumps his load into the water, Louis following him releasing into Harry’s warm heat, body tingling from head to toe. He bites down on Harry shoulder again, to suppress his moan, grips Harry’s bump, moving his hips a small amount to take him the rest of the way over the edge. Harry stays seated on Louis’ now softening cock as they come down from their high’s, sitting in the now filthy and lukewarm bathwater. 

“I think we should shower,” Harry finally says. 

“I think I agree wholeheartedly with that plan.” Louis laughs because it really his gross what is now floating around in the water. 

“Good. Fuck, Lou. The floor,” Harry pouts glancing over the side of the tub to see the mess they’ve made. Louis rolls his eyes at his husband who has been cleaning every single surface of the house what seems like 17 and a half times a day. He tells him that it is already clean, but it doesn’t seem Harry believes him. 

“It’s okay, baby. I will clean it up after we shower. I promise,” Louis tells him releasing the drain and watching as the water circles it. 

“Thank you, Lou. Don’t know what I would do without you,” Harry says. Louis can tell he is sleepy by the sound of his voice. It is all soft and even slower than normal. It’s so damn endearing. 

“Well you probably wouldn’t be pregnant without me unless you’ve found some other random bloke to marry and have kids with.” 

“Never. I never want anyone else but you,” Harry tells him, cracking his eyes open and staring earnestly into Louis’. 

“Same for me, love.” Louis kisses him gently then leaves one last kiss on his nose before bracing both hands on the side of the tub, pushing himself up feeling the water roll down his naked skin. His sensitive cock grazes Harry’s back, causing him to hiss in both pain and pleasure. “You know, baths aren't so bad after all. Happy Birthday, Harry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments are always welcome!  
> Follow me on my social media for updates or just to chat xx  
> Twitter: @Wicked_Archer  
> Tumblr: wicked-archer


	10. Coconut

“Okay. I think this is the last thing on your list,” Louis says, looking down at the paper in his hand. Harry grabs the list looking from it, to the cart, then back, making sure that everything had been purchased either at this store, or at some point since the baby shower. After the shower, Louis and Harry sat down together to look at what they had and what they still needed. They made a list of everything that would need to be purchased before the babies arrived. They also looked at their gift cards to get an idea of what could be purchased where, it was all very organized if Harry does say so himself. 

“Looks like it.” Harry’s eyes scan the paper one final time before he shrugs, following Louis up the counter. 

“Did you find everything okay today?” The woman asks, smiling directly at Louis acting as if Harry doesn’t exist. Her name tag says Rayne, and Harry has the sudden urge to scratch that form his list so hard, it will stab straight through the paper. 

“Um-- Yeah, although I have to apologize, I think my husband here bought the entire store,” Louis says, smiling over at Harry, completely oblivious to the girl’s flirting tone. 

“Oh, you two are together?” Rayne asks, widening her dark eyes and lightly touching Louis’ forearm, making Harry see red. The nerve of this lady, blatantly flirting with a man right in front of his pregnant husband.

“Yeah. Expecting triplets soon,” Louis answers, looking down at her hand before she quickly removes it. 

“Oh, I thought you may be brothers or something,” she says, smiling wide with her comment and beginning to scan their items. 

“Um-- no. Far from it,” Louis jokes awkwardly, seeming almost offended by her assumption. To be fair, Louis and Harry don’t look anything alike. Harry is tall with green eyes and curly hair while Louis is shorter with blue eyes, and freckles. Only a blind person could mistake them for brothers. 

“Oh sorry. My mistake,” she says shooting Harry a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. Harry has never wanted to punch a woman before, but there is a first time for everything. 

“Definitely your mistake,” Harry quips, not able to hold his tongue any longer. 

“Do you deliver?” Louis asks clearly attempting to change the subject. Harry would much rather give this Rayne girl a piece of his mind. 

“Yes, there is an extra fee,” she supplies, almost to the end of the items, thank god. 

“Okay, good. We would like some of the bigger items delivered,” Louis tells her as he pays. Harry watches with narrowed eyes as Louis fills out the delivery paperwork. 

“Thank you. Have a lovely day, Mr. Tomlinson,” she says once everything is submitted. 

“It’s Styles-Tomlinson,” Harry spits, turning away from her and walking, well more like waddling, as quickly as he can towards the door. Louis follows behind him with the bags, hot on his heels. 

“What was that all about?” Louis asks, once they are outside, the cool February air hitting them. 

“Oh please, Louis, like you don’t know,” Harry replies, walking towards their car and getting in without another word. The drive back is tense. Louis tries to ask Harry, again, why he is so upset, but Harry thinks he should know. The bitch was obviously flirting with Louis, and Louis was even flirting back. What the fuck? Of course, Harry was going to be upset. Any spouse would be. The tenseness in the car follows them into the living room as they walk through the door. Louis immediately sits down, grabbing his PS4 controller and brings the device to life. 

“What are you doing?” Harry asks, voice laced with venom because he wants to fucking scream. 

“Playing a video game, what does it look like I’m doing?” Louis responds back, tone dripping sarcasm, pissing Harry off even further. 

“You have been promising for weeks to start working on the nursery.” Harry crosses his arms and glares at his husband. 

“I did.” 

“All you’ve done is paint. I’m 32 weeks pregnant, Louis…”

“I know how many weeks pregnant you are Harry. Like you would ever let me forget,” Louis cuts him off. 

Gritting his teeth, Harry continues on with his original point, “Dr. Burns said at our last appointment that I will probably go into labor early. The cribs are still in the boxes, the rocking chair is in pieces and all of the decorations are just sitting in our closet. Five weeks isn’t a lot of time, if I even last that long,” Harry finishes, putting the know-it-all-tone to his voice that he knows Louis hates out of spite. 

“Fuck, Harry, can’t you just give me one goddamned minute that isn’t baby related?” Louis asks acting as if Harry is wanting him to eat his own eyeballs. 

“I sure as fuck can’t have one minute that isn’t baby related since I am carrying them.” Harry’s voice is rising in his anger, as he gestured towards his large stomach his belly button poking out through the thin material of his t-shirt. 

“Fuck. Fine. I will go put the fucking cribs together if it means you will get off my goddamn ass. Are you happy?” Louis throws the controller on the coffee table, glares at Harry then stomps upstairs. Harry sighs because, no, he isn’t happy. He just wants to feel like Louis is as invested in this as he is. Harry can’t stop thinking about the babies because they are  _ inside  _ him.  As an added reminder they sit on his bladder, jab his ribs, or punch his lungs. It’s not like he can just not be pregnant for an hour. Harry listens as Louis begins banging around the rooms upstairs in his anger, stomping throughout. Harry sinks down onto the couch. Only when he can hear loud music blaring from their Bluetooth speakers upstairs does he begin to cry. 

 

___________

 

Two hours later, Harry decides enough is enough, so he walks upstairs to confront his husband about the issue. He would laugh at the sight before him if he wasn’t so pissed off. Louis is sitting in the middle of the floor in the baby room surrounded by wood, tools, and screws. One crib has been completed and is sitting neatly against one wall. It looks like Louis is about halfway through building the second one, an adorable look of concentration on his face. Harry shakes his head, remembering that he is angry and not, by any means, endeared. Given the loud music still blasting through the room, Louis doesn't hear Harry enter. Harry tries clearing his throat three times, but it does nothing to gain his husband’s attention. This only makes Harry angrier because what if something had happened to him and he was shouting for Louis help? 

“Can you turn that down?” Harry finally shouts over the music. Louis jumps at the sudden voice, and looks to Harry. He reaches for his phone, and pauses the music. 

“What?” He asks, tone short. 

“I just asked if you could turn it down,” Harry replies, equally as short. 

“Oh. Why? Was it bothering you?” Louis asks, clearly not caring if it was. 

“I wanted to talk.” 

“Come in here to tell me how horrible a husband I am? Better yet, maybe you came in here to tell me again how terrible a father I am going to be,” Louis doesn’t make eye contact, looking down at his sheet of instructions for the next step. A bit of Harry’s anger leaves him at the comment, quickly replaced by more anger because Harry is the victim here. 

“Come of it, Louis. Don’t play the fucking victim,” Harry snaps, glaring down at him. 

“I’m not playing the victim,” Louis jumps up from his spot, finally meeting Harry’s eyes. 

“Yes, you are. God, I ask you to do one fucking thing for the babies, and you act as if I've asked you to cut off your fucking right arm.” 

“Here you go again. Please. I love it when you tell me how terrible of a husband and father I am being for wanting three fucking seconds to myself.” 

“I don’t get three seconds to myself! Why should you?” Both men are breathing hard at this point, anger fueling them on. 

“You wanted this.”

“I thought you did, too!” Harry yells, bursting into tears at his husband’s harsh words. 

“I do, baby, I do,” Louis voice is softer. Harry feels Louis’ hand on him, but Harry pulls away not wanting to be touched. He backs away until he feels the cold steady wall behind him. 

“Then why the fuck are you acting like this? Why did you flirt with that girl at the baby store?!” Harry yells, not looking at Louis. His hand are balled up into fists and he can’t think straight. 

“I wasn't flirting with that girl. I was trying to be polite,” Louis defends. Harry knows Louis is close to him, but he isn’t sure how close. 

“Oh please, Louis. She may as well have been sucking your fucking dick. She was about to drop to her knees any moment,” Harry cries, looking at Louis. Louis is pacing in front of him, but he looks taken aback by Harry’s words. Genuinely shocked. 

“Goddamnit Harry, why don’t you understand that the only person in this godforsaken world that I would ever want is you? You’re a smart guy, yet you can’t wrap your fucking brain around that. I love  _ you _ . I want  _ you _ . I don’t wanna be with anyone else,” Louis rants, now mere inches away from Harry's face. 

“I saw the way she was looking at you,” Harry replies stubbornly. He can feel Louis’ hot breath on his lips, and can see the fire in his blue eyes. 

“That’s the fucking thing Harry. I didn’t even spare her a goddamned glance, yet here we are, fighting over this.” Louis’ hands come up to cage Harry in. 

“We aren’t just fighting about tha…” Harry’s sentence is cut off by firm lips. Before Harry can understand what is happening, Louis is kissing him fiercely, bruising his lips with the force. It takes Harry exactly one second to react, gripping Louis’ hair and returning the kiss, moaning when Louis bites his lip hard. Harry is so fucking angry at Louis, but he doesn't think he has ever been so turned on in his life. His cock is so hard, so quickly, Harry briefly wonders how he hasn’t passed out from the blood flow moving in a different direction so quickly. 

Louis roughly grabs his hips and turns him to face the wall. He then yanks Harry’s pants down his legs leaving them to pool at his ankles. Harry hissed out a breath when his cock slaps against the cool wall, quickly becoming trapped between it and his stomach. 

“Get ‘em wet,” Louis commands holding two fingers up to Harry’s lips. Harry obediently parts them, listening to Louis’ moan as he splits the two digits with with a firm tongue, licking them thoroughly getting them wet as he was asked. He sucks on them as Louis pushes them down his throat, testing his gag reflex. He keeps sucking and getting them wet, moaning around the digits as Louis massages his tongue. 

He barely registers the sound of Louis’ jeans unzipping and the shuffle of Louis behind him as he pushes them down to his ankles. Louis pulls his fingers from Harry’s mouth with a wet pop, then brings them down between Harry’s cheeks, not giving him any warning before he inserts both into Harry’s waiting hole. Harry cries out at the burn and sting, but it feels so fucking good. Finally, Louis isn’t treating him like he is made of glass. Louis doesn't even give him time to adjust before his other hand grips Harry’s hip, and he starts fucking his wet digits in and out of him.

“That’s it, baby. You take my fingers so good. Gonna take my cock even better. Bet it hurts with no lube, huh? You are already so loose from last night,” Louis whispers darkly in his ear, not even pausing as a warning before he adds a third, splitting Harry open in the best possible way. Harry tries to grip the wall, needing something to do with his hands as Louis pounds his fingers into his body relentlessly. It’s dry, and it hurts. It’s almost too much but not enough at the same time. 

“Fuck me, Lou. Please fuck me,” Harry begs, feeling desperate and needy for Louis’ cock. His own is pressed against the wall painfully, but it feels so fucking good he doesn't want to complain. Louis makes him wait a few more agonizing minutes as he continues to use his fingers. Harry whimpers when Louis withdraws them, but doesn't have time to mourn the loss because Louis’ cock is pressing against his hole. Harry widens his stance, hoping to help his much shorter husband. Once he feels the wet head breach his entrance, he pushes his hips back to get him deeper. He needs it deep. He needs it rough. Louis growls from deep in his chest. 

“You’re so filthy like this. Begging for my cock,” Louis’ raspy voice says from behind him, sinking all the way then starting to move his hips at a ruthless pace, setting a punishing rhythm. Harry could tell that neither of them were going to last that long, and he doesn't care. He just wants to fucking come.  

“Always begging for it. Need it,” Harry says and moans at a particularly hard thrust, jabbing his prostate dead on. Louis must know because he keeps that angle as he fucks his hips even faster. 

“I know you do, baby, and you get what you need.” Harry’s hard cock is pressed between the cold wall and his warm taut belly. The momentum from Louis’ thrusts providing just enough friction to push him over the edge, his orgasm hitting him out of nowhere. He legs shake with the force of it, every nerve ending in his body sparking then fizzling out just as quickly. 

“Fuck, Lou. Fuck!” Harry shouts as he paints the wall with his own release. Louis grunts in his ear, stills his hips, and orgasms, his cock pulsing inside Harry, his come providing much need moisture. 

“I can’t believe we just fucked in our babies’ room,” Louis says pulling out. 

“Well, they were created that way, so they will just have to get over it,” Harry replies, turning over and wincing at the feeling in his bum as well as the come trickling down his inner thigh. His legs feel like jelly. He has no idea how he is still standing given the added weight, and the fact that he is always exhausted. 

“Did I hurt you?” Louis asks, concern etched into his features. 

“No. I’m great, honestly. Angry sex is always amazing,” Harry shoots Louis a cheeky smile. Louis just shakes his head with a small smile of his own. 

 

__________

 

“Welcome to the House of Lucie Free Birthing and Yoga Studio. I am Sheila, I am a qualified Yoga Instructor and Dula, and today we will be discussing the miracle of birth in an open environment,” Sheila introduces with an overly soft voice, as if an angel is sleeping on her tongue. Harry is listening tentatively, hanging on her every word, while Louis is bored out of his fucking skull, and it hasn’t even been two minutes. This is going to be six hours of his life that he will never get back, which sucks because he could do a lot of fun shit in six hours. Fun shit that involves a very naked Harry. 

Louis already hates her for referring to birth as a ‘miracle’. There is nothing miraculous about it.Birth is science. It’s not a goddamn miracle. He and Harry are sitting on the floor, surrounded by overly fluffy pillows. Who in their right mind would think that having overly pregnant people sit on the floor would be a good fucking idea? He has no idea how he is going to manage to get Harry up. 

“Now we are going to go around the room. Please introduce yourselves and tell us a bit about you, like how far along you are, a brief description of your birth plan, and any interesting facts you would like to share.” She gestures to the first couple. Louis doesn't actually pay attention to their names and gives zero fucks about their plans to do a ‘free birth’ or a ‘home birth’ or even a ‘lotus birth’, whatever the fuck that is. He feels Harry’s elbow go into his rib cage, winces and he looks at him offended then realizes Harry has started speaking. Oh yeah, right. They are supposed to be introducing themselves or something. 

“I’m Harry and this is my husband Louis. We are expecting triplets, two girls and a boy.” Harry rubs down the large expanse of his stomach resting it finally just below his belly button and continues. “Even though we are having triplets, I want to try to do a natural water birth.”

“And how far along are you two?” Sheila asks with a wide smile, blinking far too much to be considered normal.

“Harry is 34 weeks pregnant, I am no weeks, because I am not pregnant. He is. I am not.  _ We  _ aren’t pregnant. We are expecting triplets, but he is clearly the pregnant one,” Louis tells her, not being able to keep the sarcasm from his tone, however he does manage not to roll his eyes. Now  _ that  _ is the fucking miracle here. He winces when Harry’s elbow meets his ribcage for a second time in less than three minutes. 

“Oh, not too long to go now,” she says ignoring Louis’ sardonic comment. 

“Yup,” Louis says smiling far too pleasantly for his mood and pats his husbands stomach. Harry shoots him a look that very much says ‘I am going to smother you in your sleep if you keep being an ass’, but Louis seems to be in the mood to play with fire today, so it seems. 

“Alright everyone, it is good to meet you all and thank you for coming to my class today. Think of it as the first step in your birthing journey.” God Louis despises this woman. Birthing journey. Is she fucking serious? This isn't Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. They aren't preparing to trek through the Amazonian Jungle in search of the Lost Arch of the Covenant. They are doing what human beings do every single day, having a child. Or children in their case. 

“First we will be discussing what contractions are, and how they work, the difference between real contractions and Braxton Hicks, and the uterus.” Oh joy, it looks like Snorefest 2019 is here. Louis begins to tune out again, thinking, instead, of his surprise for Harry in the next week or so.

“Okay, so now we are going to simulate contractions and the way the uterus works to help you birth your baby. I find that it helps to have a visual representation to better understand. So, you are going to pretend this balloon is the uterus and this ping pong ball is your baby.” Louis tunes back in to see the detestable woman holding up a deflated balloon in one hand and a ping pong ball in the other hand. She then takes the ping pong ball and squeezes it through the opening of the balloon. What the hell? It’s not even kind of the same thing.

“When you blow up the balloon, it is like your uterus is expanding, as it does during the duration of your pregnancy to support your growing baby.” She then pauses to blow up the balloon. Since when do preschoolers have babies? Surely she knows she's talking to a group of fully functioning adults and not a class of five year olds. His little sisters could do a more sophisticated job of explaining this than Gypsy Rose Lee over there. Will she ever talk at a normal volume? He hopes no one in the room is hard of hearing, because Jesus tits her speaking voice is soft enough to not disturb a sleeping butterfly. Maybe that’s what she’s going for. Nature and all that. 

“As you can see, the ping pong ball, or your baby’s head, is stopping the air from escaping, representing your baby’s head edging into the birth canal. Every time you squeeze the balloon, it is like your uterus when it is contracting. We will squeeze the balloon until the ping pong ball pops out, and your baby is born.” She squeezes it a few more times until the ball gently pops out and falls into her waiting palm. She holds it up like she actually birthed a living being and not squeezed a ping pong ball from a balloon. She smiles widely at the room, doing that weird blinking thing that gives Louis the creeps. Louis knows his eyebrows are hitting his hairline from the stupidity of it all, but he can’t seem to care. Maybe this won't be such a drag after all. However the need to laugh is getting stronger, and he is in physical pain from having to hold it in. He will probably be in even more physical pain if he lets it out though, since Harry might actually flay him with a plastic spoon. He glances at his husband, who is listening to every word, nodding along. 

“Partners, in the bag laid out in front of you, you will find your own balloon and ping pong ball. I want you to do as I have just demonstrated,” she says, gesturing towards the bag in front of their crossed legs. Well, his are crossed, Harry’s are just bent at the knee since he can’t really cross his legs anymore. 

Before Harry can react Louis grabs the bag and starts rummaging through it until he produces a bright blue balloon and a green ping pong ball. Harry has a look of surprise on his face, no doubt shocked at Louis’ sudden interest in the class, but it quickly returns to one of annoyance when Louis uses the pen provided to draw an ‘x’ eyes smiley face on their ping pong ball. At Harry’s glare, Louis just shrugs and says, “What? Our baby has to have a face.” He smiles at Harry, but Harry doesn’t look amused at all. He blows a kiss, then begins roughly stuffing the ping pong ball into the opening of the balloon, using blunt fingernails to pull it over the round surface of the ball. 

“I better do this. Asthma and all,” Louis says once it’s in. He then winks at Harry, brings the balloon up to his lips and beings blowing air into it, feeling it expand under his fingers. 

“Oh yes. I’m sure that’s the reason,” Harry replies watching with squinted green eyes as Louis blows the balloon way larger than necessary. 

At Harry’s look, Louis says, “What? You’re having triplets. Your uterus has gotta be big.” He can see the exact moment Harry contemplates strangling him, his large hands actually do the motion in his lap. Louis shoots Harry another smile, then begins squeezing the balloon not too gently. 

“Louis, I think you need to be a bit more careful,” Harry instructs trying to grab the balloon from Louis. 

“Shh. I’m crowning,” Louis says pointing to the ping pong ball as it peeks out of the hole and pulls the balloon out of Harry’s reach. 

“Lou, you’re doing it too hard,” Harry says again. 

“Harold, don’t tell me how to contract,” Louis chastises, squeezing so hard this time, his fingers form a fist around the blown up surface of the balloon. “Aren't contractions supposed to hard and painful anyways?”

“Well yes, but you’re gonna…” Harry’s sentence cuts off abruptly as the ping pong ball shoots from the balloon, hitting the painted lilac wall right behind Sheila’s head and bouncing several times throughout the room. The balloon, however, goes into the opposite direction. The air being released from its now empty opening, propelling it in different directions, finally landing somewhere behind Louis and Harry. 

“Oops,” Louis says, glancing at his husband, knowing a painful death is imminent. He hopes it’s quick at least. Instead, he sees Harry try to put on a serious expression, but the corner of his mouth is twitching and his noses is scrunching up in the cutest possible way. After a few more seconds, they both burst out laughing. Sheila, on the other hand, does not look amused. 

“Well that is one way to do it,” Sheila quips placing her hands in her lap fixing them with a stern look. Louis doesn't care, he keeps laughing because of the hilarity of it all. It’s his only saving grace in this godforsaken class. Harry manages to stop laughing before Louis, which isn’t surprising. When Louis finally wipes his eyes one final time, he looks around the room. Their classmates are staring at them. Some look like they are holding in laughter and some look like their instructor, with unamused or bored expressions. 

“Okay. Why don’t we move on to next topic, shall we?” Sheila says, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention back on herself. Louis doesn't think she was completely done explaining contractions and all of that, but she is probably moving on out of agitation. Whatever gets this show on the road though. 

“There is not only one way to birth a child. Many of you, in your introductions, stated what your birth plan is but some still don’t know. The thing to remember about birth plans is that they can change. There is more than one way to give birth and none of them are wrong or unnatural, it is up to you to decide which way is best for you and your baby.” She then goes into the long, drawn out explanation of the difference between a natural birth and a cesarean, again, talking to them like they are all imbeciles who have never taken a sexual education course. After that explanation, she then tells them the different types of natural births including a water birth, lotus birth, free birth, and home birth. All information Louis could have gone the rest of his natural born life without knowing. 

“Any questions?” She asks, an hour later and Louis thinks he may have actually died from boredom. He would much rather be doing anything else at the present moment including but not limited to using his own eyeballs to play golf. Golf is boring as fuck, but this, this is on a whole new level. 

“Will it hurt?” someone asks.

“‘Course it will hurt. You are pushing a 34 and then some centimeter round head, through a 10 centimeter round hole. Were you not paying attention to my demonstration earlier? Contractions are no joke.” Louis scoffs, not being able to actually stop himself because that question is just so fucking absurd it makes his head hurt. He may actually have an aneurysm by the end of this session. 

“What Mr. Styles-Tomlinson is trying to say is that, yes, labor and contractions can be quite uncomfortable.” Louis scoffs that word as well, because ‘uncomfortable’ is a mild way of putting it from what he understands. She ignores him and continues, “but there are many different techniques to manage the pain. Which brings us to our next topic: Pain Relief.” 

Great, Louis helped move the class along. If there is a God, maybe it will be done sooner. Instead of listening to her explanation of the different types of medicated pain relief, he thinks about way more interesting topics, like the mating ritual of a Garden Snail perhaps. 

“Partners,” Louis hears, making his mind snap back to Sheila. “We will now be discussing some non-medicated pain relief options,” Louis straightens his spine because the ought to be good. “I want you go to get behind your significant other and hold them in the cradle of your legs.” Louis does as instructed moving behind Harry and pulling his shoulders so that Harry is resting against him. Louis looks down at his beautiful husband, giving him a small smile then watches the mesmerizing way Harry’s rounded stomach rises and falls with his breaths. 

“Very good,” she compliments gazing around the room. It’s not like she had asked them to do rocket science or anything. He is pretty sure they can all follow simple directions. “Okay now I will be demonstrating some breathing techniques to help you through a painful contraction. Hee- hee- hoo. Hee- hee- hoo.” She exaggerates each syllable with her mouth, displaying all of her teeth for the first two. Louis can’t believe this is actually happening. He feels like he is on some sitcom. As if Joey is going pop out of nowhere to ask “how you doin’?” any second now. He watches in amusement as Harry starts to do it, not being able to hold in his laughter any longer. Harry squeezes his leg, hard, until Louis winces and stops. He looks down at Harry who is glaring at him as he continues the breathing technique. 

“Partners, do it with them,” she instructs. Louis rolls his eyes, but when Harry squeezes his leg again, Louis begins to do it halfheartedly. Anything to get Harry to stop giving him bruises. All that can be heard throughout the entire room is that ridiculous breathing pattern which is starting to make him lightheaded. “Good. Very good.” She walks across the room, long flowing skirt barely touching the ground with her steps. Finally after what feels like an eternity of breathing like a dysfunctional Santa Claus, she begins talking them through different meditation techniques. When they try one out, Louis stays quiet not really doing as she instructs. He knows he is already on Harry’s shit list, so he doesn't really want to make it worse at the present moment in time.

“Okay, now that you’ve got a basic understanding of pain relief, we are going to connect your husbands up to a device called a Tens Unit,” she reaches down to her bag and pulls out device that looks very much like a white remote control. It is long, thin, and rectangular with various blue buttons and a small screen. She then holds up four cords with sticky pads attached to the ends. 

“This device works by sending an electrical current through these sticky pads and into the skin forcing the muscle below to contract. These buttons on the side can increase or decrease the intensity of the currents. This will give partner's a very small glimpse into how a true contraction feels. If the pain becomes too much, just say ‘epidural’ and your partner will stop.” Before she even finishes her explanation, Harry’s hand is rummaging through their bag with a wicked glint in his eyes when he pulls out their unit. Louis just spent the past few hours making sarcastic comments and being an all around menace. Louis is fucked. Payback is going to be a huge fucking bitch. When Harry nods eagerly, Louis groans.

“Lift your shirt up,” Harry commands and Louis doesn’t think he has ever seen Harry look so sinister. Louis gulps, but then does as asked, hoping to maybe win some points with his husband who is about to cause him pain. He can tell by the look in Harry’s eye that it does nothing, as he lifts his shirt exposing his stomach. Harry giggles, actually giggles, as he begins placing the pads in the desired location. He listens carefully as the instructor explains which setting to use and why. 

“You’re going to enjoy this far too much,” Louis observes, looking down at the wires now attached to his stomach. 

“Think of it as a learning experience,” Harry reasons, reaching down to reposition one of the pads so it directly over an ab muscle. Fuck. 

“I’m sure it will be.” 

“Maybe it will teach you not to piss your husband off,” Harry mumbles, then without warning, he turns the machine on. Louis jumps from the odd sensation, but it isn’t  _ unpleasant _ . 

“That kind of tickles,” Louis chuckles. Harry scowls then turns up the intensity, and okay, now that is starting to hurt. The muscles in his abdomen are being forced to contract for a solid minute then they will release for a minute, only to contract again. Louis refuses to make a sound though, not wanting to give Harry the satisfaction. 

“How about now?” Harry asks, looking down at the machine and smiling. 

“It’s fine,” Louis answers barely stopping himself from gritting his teeth when the unit forces him to tense again. He looks down, and he can visually see it happening. It’s really strange. 

“Okay good,” Harry says. “Just checking. Sheila says this level is only the beginning stages of active labor. Wanna go up to the moderate level?” Harry asks the questions innocently, but there is a challenge in his eye, so Louis nods, not trusting his own voice. Louis keeps eye contact with Harry and hears when his husband clicks the intensity button on the side. He scarcely stops a wince from escaping and clenches his teeth. Fuck. This fucking hurts. Louis concentrates on breathing through it, knowing how ironic it is that he was just making fun of breathing techniques not even five minutes ago. He hears a few men around the room say ‘epidural’, but he refuses. 

“Very good. Practice those breathing techniques and remember, this isn’t anywhere near the amount of pain your partners will be going through when they give birth,” Sheila says, and Louis kind of very much wants to flip her off. After a few more minutes, Louis is starting to sweat. Fuck. One more partner has said the safe word which leaves Louis and another person still hanging in there. 

“Okay. Now let’s take them into active labor. Remember, your partner will most likely not move through the stages of labor this quickly. They could be feeling this amount of pain every few minutes for hours. Active labor is about the time that your partner will begin feeling a lot of pressure on their pelvis and an overwhelming need to push. The contractions are usually a minute a part by now.” Louis hears Harry click the button, not once but three times. He squeezes his eyes shut, his first physical indication that this hurts, as he mentally prepares himself for the onslaught of pain. He isn’t prepared. Fuck, he isn’t prepared at all. He actually cries out when the first electrical current hits after the increase. He involuntarily tenses his whole body, barely breathing as the muscles contract. He sighs when they finally release. 

“Hurt?” Harry asks, smiling like the Cheshire cat. 

“A little bit,” Louis replies, breathless. He isn’t prepared when the next one hits, stupid Harry for distracting him. 

“Epidural,” the other person shouts, sighing in relief when his partner finally turns off the evil device. 

“Want it to stop?” Harry asks, holding the unit up at eye level with Louis wiggling it between to fingers. 

“Nah. I’m good,” Louis lies, biting back a cry when it hits again. Fucking Harry must have turned up the intensity while he was talking because it is so much worse. 

“Fuck,” Louis curses under his breath, breathing hard. At least he is breathing this time. 

“No. It’s like this, love. Hee- hee- ho,” Harry says his wide mouth shaping around the syllables exaggeratedly. Louis is getting ready to strangle him when another current stops him in his tracks. 

“Holy fucking hell,” Louis cries out, not caring if Harry hears him his time. 

“Say the word, and it will stop,” Harry says, watching Louis go through the process two more times. Harry nudges a finger towards the intensity button. 

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Louis grits out. 

“What?” Harry asks innocently then click it. 

“Fuck, Harry.” Louis knows he is making a shit ton of noise now, but this fucking hurts. It literally feels like his muscles are ripping in two. He can’t take it anymore. 

“Epidural,” he finally cries out, but Harry, the evil bastard that he is, lets this contraction finish completely before he shuts it off for good, leaving Louis sweating and breathing heavy. 

“Wonderful,” Sheila says, clapping. Louis wants to take the tens unit and shove it up her ass. Fuck. Wonderful? That shit fucking hurt, and she is clapping like some fucking cheerleader at a pep rally. Harry doesn't look at all apologetic as he helps Louis remove the sticky pads from his skin. Louis probably deserved that though. Sheila then starts talking about dilation with a chart to show the difference between three centimeters, five, eight, and ten. Once she is finished with that, she then pops in a DVD beginning the birthing video. Louis has seen someone give birth before, he is married to Harry after all. The man made him watch one almost as soon as they found out he was pregnant. She talks through it pausing every few minutes to explain what is happening, scientifically. He does enjoy seeing the look of horror and shock that is across the faces of his classmates as the baby begins crowning. This particular video holds nothing back. 

“Alright. That is the end of our class today, any questions?” She asks to the room once the video is done. She smiles wide, blinking rapidly. If Louis never has to see her face again, it will be too soon. He prays that nobody has any questions, but no such luck. Jesus, don’t these people ever  _ read  _ or search the internet. It is not that difficult to find information. Miss. Flower Child didn’t even tell them any useful information like what to do once the baby is actually born. She should have demonstrated how to feed a baby, change a diaper, burp it, etcetera. No, instead she used a fucking balloon and ping pong ball to show how a uterus contracts. While that is all fine and dandy, it wasn’t  _ actually  _ useful to new parents. Knowing the ins and outs of the reproductive system doesn’t equate to raising a child. Finally. Fucking finally, all of the questions have been asked, and she dismisses them with a smile and wave. Louis doesn’t return either, instead literally pulling Harry from the ground. Harry will not be getting anywhere near the ground until after the babies are born if Louis can help it. 

“That was informative,” Harry says as they walk out the door. 

“Oh yeah. Invigorating really,” Louis replies, the words dripping with sarcasm. 

“Lou, I know it wasn’t really your thing, and even though you annoyed the ever living shit out of me the entire time, thank you for coming. Means a lot,” Harry says, stopping him then lowering his head, giving Louis a gentle kiss in the hallway. 

“You’re welcome, Haz. Anything for you.” 

 

__________

 

Harry is sitting on the couch reading when he thinks he hears a car pull into their driveway. It must be Louis. The man had been acting strange all day, well all week really. He left earlier saying that he needed to meet Niall to do something. He was really vague about the whole thing, but Harry didn’t think anything of it. He figured Louis would tell him when he was ready. A few seconds later, the door opens and Louis steps in, big smile lighting up his gorgeous face. His is dressed casually in jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt, the weather finally warming up mid-march. 

“Got a surprise for you baby,” Louis says, coming over to Harry and holding out both hands. Harry smiles and takes both of them, allowing Louis to pull him up from the couch. No easy feat these days. “Gotta close your eyes, do you trust me?” Louis asks. 

“Of course, I do,” Harry replies sincerely. He then feels as two cool hands cover his eyes. Louis presses his chest to Harry’s back slowing moving him forwards.

“Keep ‘em closed,” Louis warns, so Harry shuts his eyes tight as Louis opens the door then resumes his position. “Okay, step,” Louis instructs, and Harry steps down off the ledge of the doorway, letting the cool spring air hit him. He has been so hot these days. 

“Alright. Ready?” Louis ask. Harry couldn’t stop the excitement bubbling in his chest. Louis knows that Harry loves surprises, and he has no idea what it could be. 

“Yes!” Harry exclaims, not being able to suppress it anymore. His cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. 

“Okay.” Louis quickly removes his hands. Harry blinks a few times, letting his eyes adjust to the March sun and holy shit. 

“Lou. You got us a van?” Harry exclaims, not being able to take his eyes away from the vehicle in front of him. 

“Yeah. I traded my car off for it. I know we needed more room for the triplets and our cars just weren’t gonna cut it. I hope this is okay. I know I’ve been on your shit list lately, so I wanted to do something to show that I do care, and I really do think about the babies all the time,” Louis is rambling now, so Harry does the only thing that has ever successfully shut Louis up. He kisses him. 

“Thank you! I love it,” Harry shouts, clapping and kissing Louis again for good measure. 

“I already put all of the carseats in it, they are secure. Niall and I checked them three times, I swear,” Louis says pulling Harry over to the passenger side. He then starts up their new vehicle showing off all of the buttons, gadgets and dials. Harry starts crying about halfway through, overcome with emotion. It is just so thoughtful of Louis to do this. Knowing his husband’s swinging emotions by now, Louis just kisses him over the center console and wipes away his tears. With the nursery complete and a new car, Harry feels slightly more ready for the babies’ impending arrival. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up being my favorite chapter! I hope you liked it is as well.   
> Kudos and Comments are always welcome!  
> Follow me on my social media for updates or just to chat xx  
> Twitter: @Wicked_Archer  
> Tumblr: wicked-archer


	11. Honeydew

“Well, congratulations. You have made it to 36 weeks. You are now considered full term for a multiples pregnancy. That's no easy feat. How are you feeling?” Dr. Burns asks when she walks into the waiting room, smiling at them. 

“I’ve been extremely uncomfortable. My back and hips hurt, and I have been feeling a lot of pressure in my pelvis, if feel like a Barbie doll that a little kid is trying to pull the legs off of,” Harry tells her rubbing a hand over his extremely large stomach. The paper gown feels strange under his hand. He shuffles on the table a bit, grabbing Louis’ hand as he helps him lay back on the cool surface. He hates laying on his back. He feels like he is suffocating. Louis knows this, so he grabs the pillow to put it behind Harry’s back. Harry smiles at him gratefully. 

“He’s also been having Braxton Hicks contractions on and off for a few weeks now,” Louis supplies. 

“Are you sure they are Braxton Hicks?” Piper pipes in, taking notes on her clipboard. 

“Yup. They aren’t consistent and usually go away after I eat,” Harry answers, shuffling again, attempting to find a comfortable position. It doesn't work because nothing is fucking comfortable right now. 

“That’s all very normal in this stage of your pregnancy. Let’s do an ultrasound first, then do a pelvic exam. See if you’re dilated at all,” she says, gesturing for Piper to wheel the machine across the surface of the room. Suddenly this all sounds extremely real. Holy shit. He is going to be giving birth soon. Holy shit. He isn’t ready. What does he do? He can’t keep the babies in forever, god no, that would be far too uncomfortable. He gulps just thinking about the prospect of giving birth. He knows that there is nothing he could watch or read to prepare for this. He hates that. He hates the unknown. Harry likes to be prepared and knowledgeable, and this is something that he would need first hand experience to prepare for. Although he vaguely remembers Jay telling him you are never really prepared whether it's your first baby or your seventh. Fuck. Louis gives him a questioning look, probably seeing the panic in his eyes. 

“Okay,” Harry answers, swallowing dryly. He grips Louis’ hand and watches with wide eyes as she squirts the gel onto his stomach. He has gotten used to it at this point, having one of these once a week for the past month. It is still cold though. He tries to return her smile when she flicks the machine on, but he knows his is tight. He just can’t stop thinking about the fact that he may actually be birthing a real human being. Scratch that,  _ three  _ real human beings. He doesn't know if he can do this anymore, which is ridiculous seeing as there are no other options. The babies have to come out one way or the other. 

“This all looks great, Harry,” Dr. Burns says, snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts bringing him back into the present moment in time. He looks at the screen, pretending he was paying attention the whole time. He is amazed to see that they are looking more like a baby every single day and less like an alien. “They are all head down, which is exactly what we want for a natural birth. Hopefully that doesn’t change in the next few days or weeks. Their heartbeats are good, and they all seem to be healthy. The twin girl one is still a bit smaller, but her heart is strong, so I’m not too concerned. Overall, it seems you are still a perfect candidate for a natural birth.” 

“That’s great. I’m so happy to hear that,” Harry says, and he is happy. He  _ is _ . He just also may be freaking out just a tiny bit. 

“Now let’s see if your dilated any,” she says, lifting the blue paper covering his genitals. He grimaces through the uncomfortable sensation, forcing himself not to squirm. “Seems you're about one centimeter dilated, Harry.” Harry panics for a moment because does that mean he is going into labor and he didn’t even realize it? Is he having these  babies now? “Don’t worry, it’s common in subsequent pregnancies and multiples. It just means you could go into labor any day now.” 

“I hope so; I am so uncomfortable,” Harry tells her, momentarily forgetting he is terrified of giving birth when one of the babies presses onto his sciatic nerve. Louis helps him up with one strong hand, and gently rubs his belly. Harry gives him a small smile in gratitude. 

“Well I could do what is called a Membrane Sweep procedure. It is a natural induction method that releases hormones to soften the cervix. These hormones can also be found in sperm which is why we encourage couples to keep engaging in regular intercourse if possible until birth. The procedure basically separates the membrane between the cervix and the sac. It can be very uncomfortable, but it can start labor. You’ve said you are uncomfortable, so I see no reason to stretch it out further,” she informs. Harry looks to Louis asking him a silent question. Louis grips his hands, feeling the same way as Harry. 

Dr. Burns must sense their hesitation, so she adds, “You know there are other things you can do to bring about labor. Many people try spicy foods, bumpy car rides, the list goes on. But as I mentioned sex and a membrane sweep are the most effective other than waiting until the babies are ready.” She glances between the two of them with her last comment. 

“I think we will try to keep them in a bit longer,” Louis laughs, rubbing Harry’s tummy, and the fuck they will. Harry wants them out at this point. He is so tired of being pregnant. He is tired of all of the peeing and the back ache. He is just tired. Louis doesn't get a say in this. Louis isn’t the one that looks like a beached whale. Louis’ back isn’t hurting nor are his lungs being used for punching bags. So, no, Louis doesn’t get to decide at all. 

“If you want my professional opinion, I think you should let me do the procedure. Harry’s legs and feet are extremely swollen. He has also mentioned a lot of pain and pressure in his pelvis. I am concerned that your body may not be able to sustain the babies much longer, so doing this induction could prevent further complications. I must warn you that it doesn't always work, but that is when you could try the other methods already mentioned.” Louis squeezes Harry’s hand at the mention of Harry’s body not being able to sustain the pregnancy. Harry knows Louis has been worried about him lately with his constant aches and pains. He glances at Louis again, communicating with their eyes. Louis nods. 

“Okay, I will do the procedure,” Harry finally answers, taking a deep breath and nodding because he is trying to convince himself that they are ready for this. He knows this is going to be uncomfortable, she has said as much. Piper begins preparing him for the procedure. He feels oddly exposed having a light pointed directly at his groin area. 

“Okay, Harry. This is going to be uncomfortable. You are going to feel lots of pressure. I need you to take a deep breath in for three seconds then out for three,” Dr. Burns instructs. Harry squeezes Louis’ hand tightly, trying to prepare himself for what is about to happen. He hisses in pain when the burning begins. It hurts so bad, his mind kind of blanks out for a moment. It takes everything in him not to pull away from the sensation or clamp his legs shut on Dr. Burns.Uncomfortable is a mild term for this. Jesus. This burns so much, it literally feels like his skin is being scolded by a blow torch. He grits his teeth hard, trying to remember to breath. He vaguely registers Louis running his fingers through his hair, telling him that it is almost over. Finally, the doctor stops whatever she was doing and he gets some kind of relief. It still hurts like hell, but it isn't actively hurting anymore. His skin doesn’t feel like it is being branded. 

“Okay. All done,” she says, pulling off her blue latex gloves and tossing them in the nearby trash can. “Like I mentioned before, it may not work. If it doesn't, I would highly recommend sexual intercourse to help things along even more. If you start getting consistent contractions that are stronger or your water breaks, then please go to the birthing center. I know that sounds like common sense, but you’d be surprised at how many people accidently deliver at home because they refuse to believe they are in labor.” She laughs at the look of horror on Louis’ face. Harry understands though. He thought about a home birth, but he would never do a free birth. He wants to have a professional there when he gives birth. 

“Will do. Thank you,” Harry replies smiling because he really does like their doctor even though his insides feel as if they have been scorched by the fires of hell.  He watches as Piper packs up the the equipment. 

“Alright. I will see you all next week unless you go into labor before then,” she says, then shakes their hands and leaves with Piper. 

“I’m kind of scared, Lou,” Harry admits, slowly getting off the exam table with Louis’ help wincing at the lingering pain from the procedure. 

“I know, love. I don’t blame you, but, and I hate myself for saying this, but your body will know what to do when the time comes. That’s what my mom says anyways, and she has done this far too many times,” Louis reassures, helping Harry lace his long legs through his pregnancy pants. They don’t really fit over his bulging stomach, given that he is carrying triplets, but they work for now. His shirt is long enough anyways. 

“I just-- it’s just so hard to believe that I could be giving birth any day now. Like any day now, we could have three little babies that are half you and half me. Isn’t that strange?” He asks, tugging the shirt over his head, pulling his hair from the neck hole. 

“I mean, kind of, but it’s what we wanted,” Louis reasons, grabbing Harry’s hips and pulling him closer. “So, if I have to have sex with you to help this along, that is a sacrifice I am willing to make,” Louis bites his lip and smiles, glancing down at Harry’s protruding stomach. Harry rolls his eyes knowing good and well it isn’t a sacrifice for Louis. He won’t have to seduce him like Rachel tried to do to Ross in that episode of  _ Friends _ . 

“Oh how valiant of you. You’re my hero,” Harry says sarcastically, leaning down to kiss his husband. “Maybe not today, though, my insides feeling like they have been jabbed with a hot poker.” 

“Harold if you think I am going to miss having sex with you one last time while you’re pregnant because you are uncomfortable, you are sadly mistaken.” Harry knows Louis is joking. Louis would never force him to have sex, so he laughs at the comment, rolling his eyes. He knows there is a sickeningly fond expression on his face, but he can’t help it. He just loves his husband. 

 

__________

 

“I hate you,” Harry proclaims, startling Louis because he had no idea his husband was even there. Louis is taken aback by the sudden comment. Louis is just sitting on the bed, reading one of the godforsaken pregnancy books before bed, minding his own business. 

“What?” Louis asks. He racks his mind trying to figure out what he did to upset his husband. At this point, though, it may not have even been him, just someone that looked vaguely similar to Louis on the TV that did something to piss Harry off. 

“I hate you,” Harry says again, stepping into the doorway. He is shirtless and wearing a pair of pregnancy yoga pants that hug his curves. Louis allows his gaze to travel over his husband, starting with his piercing green eyes, then down to his naturally red lips. His gaze keeps going, looking at Harry’s tattoos that align with so many of his own. It wanders over his very large bump, licking his now dry lips, finally his blue eyes land on the bulge in his obscenely tight pants. He licks his lips again, wetting them. 

“Why?” he asks, not really paying attention to the conversation anymore. He isn’t even sure what they are talking about at this point. All of the blood is rushing south from his brain causing him to not be able to think correctly. There is just something about Harry’s pregnant body that does something to him. He will never be able to properly explain it, but he has never found Harry sexier. 

“Because you did this to me,” Harry says gesturing to his abdomen. Louis reaches out one finger to trace the stretched butterfly tattoo, almost completely turned towards the ceiling now. 

“But it’s so lovely on you,” Louis says feeling like he is almost in a trance. 

“And extremely uncomfortable,” Harry whines, full lip pouting out. Louis wants to bite it, so he does. 

“Well, the doctor said there were things we could do about that,” Louis mummers against Harry’s lips, pressing his now extremely hard cock against Harry’s rounded belly, moaning at the contact despite the clothes covering his erection. 

“That is true. Sure you won't be sacrificing too much?” Harry asks, a look of hunger sparkling in his eye. 

“Nothing as extreme as sacrificing a virgin,” Louis quips placing his hands on either side of Harry’s stomach, enjoying the feel of the taut skin under his finger tips. He then circles around Harry, gripping his hips and pressing his erection in between Harry’s cheeks, both men moaning at the contact. 

“I see,” Harry says, moving his hips back to grind his ass on Louis, moaning out a breath. Louis kisses his neck biting a bit as he grinds back, slowly teasing his husband. He thinks for a moment about a position, trying to decide what would be the most comfortable for Harry in his current state. Louis pushes his pelvis forward and grips Harry’s hips leading him towards the bed. 

He then slowly takes off Harry’s yoga pants, moaning when he sees Harry isn’t wearing any underwear. “Fuck, so sexy for me,” Louis mummers, not really to anyone but himself. He feels chill bumps bloom on Harry’s skin under his fingertips, smiling at the effect he has on his husband still. Once Harry steps out of the offending item of clothing, Louis reaches around and grabs Harry’s leaking cock with one hand, stroking it slowly. Not enough to get him off, but just enough to have him leaning into it, breathy moans escaping his lips. 

“You like that, baby?” Louis asks, even though the question is rhetorical. He knows Harry likes it. He knows Harry’s body better than his own even. “Why don’t you lay down on the bed for me, on your side,” Louis suggests, helping Harry lay on the bed, arranging the pregnancy pillow so it is mostly supporting his large stomach. Louis moans at the sight, seeing Harry curled on his side in the fetal position looking at him with blown pupils and messy hair. Fuck. He needs to calm down or he isn’t going to last long. He quickly takes off his own underwear, not taking his eyes off of Harry’s round bump. 

He grabs the lube and lays on the bed behind Harry, situating himself carefully. He starts by rubbing his arms up and down while kissing and biting his neck, not enough to leave a mark, just a tease. His hands then slowly work their way down Harry’s torso, rubbing the expanse of his stomach, grinding his hard cock between Harry’s cheeks prompting the other man to moan in pleasure. 

“God, Lou.” Harry’s eyes are closed tight in pleasure lips parted. His pink tongue peeking out, wetting his lips. Louis suddenly feels a desperate need to kiss him. He places one finger under his chin, forcing him to crane his head back giving Louis the access he needs to kiss him hungrily. The angle is a bit awkward, but it’s worth it when Harry parts his full lips, granting him entrance. Louis wastes no time, licking into Harry’s mouth massaging his wet tongue with his own. He keeps the slow grind of his cock going, moving one hand down Harry's torso, finally resting it right over the bottom of Harry’s butterfly. Louis thinks he can get off just by doing this. Kissing Harry, grinding his dick against his bum, and rubbing his belly. 

“Please,” Harry whispers, breaking the kiss just long enough to say the word. Louis doesn't reply, just pops the cap on the lube, squeezing some onto his fingers. He snakes his hand down between their bodies, moaning into Harry’s mouth when he accidentally grazes his own impossibly hard cock. He slowly begins circling Harry’s rim, moving the lube around. Harry pushes his hips back, wanting more contact. His moans are obscene when Louis sinks one finger all the way in and the sound tears a growl from Louis’ chest. 

“So good, baby. So lovely when you moan,” Louis mummers directly into Harry’s ear, biting his earlobe, then biting his strong jaw, ending up back at his mouth. 

“Oh god,” Harry responds, as Louis presses another finger in, fucking them in and out so very slowly, purposefully avoiding Harry’s prostate. Harry pushes his hips back, attempting to get Louis to go deeper, but Louis doesn't. He just wants to open Harry up. He will save going deeper for his cock. Harry moans again, when Louis begins scissoring his fingers, stretching Harry even further. 

“Almost ready, baby. Do you want it? Do you want my cock?” Harry just nods, mouth open in pleasure. Louis adds a third, needing to move the process along because he feels as if his cock is going to explode from it all. 

“Please, Lou. God please. Need it,” Harry murmurs. When Louis doesn't make any move to replace his fingers he adds, “Need your cock. I need it in me.” 

“Want me to fill you up? Split you open? That what you  _ need _ , baby?” Louis asks, slowly removing his fingers. Harry whimpers when Louis lines his cock up, the head slipping in easily. 

“Yeah. Need that,” Harry responds, pushing his hips back a bit. The position doesn't allow for quick, hard movements, so instead, he takes it slow and steady. His motions are small as he circles his hips rather than moving them backwards and forwards. The drag is so much, yet not enough. He needs more, somehow. 

“Want me to touch your cock, baby?” Louis asks, biting Harry’s earlobe as he moves agonizingly slow. The movements are a stark contrast to the punishing pace they used to have, not too many months ago. 

“Yes. Please, Lou,” Harry begs against Louis’ lips. Louis traces the vein on the underside of Harry’s cock before he takes it in his hand, wrapping his fingers around the hard shaft. He pulls up, feeling as the foreskin pulls over the head then back down, matching the rhythm of his own hips. He knows it’s not enough to take Harry over the edge just yet. He continues this, wanting desperately to move faster, but not wanting to at the same time, the pleasure almost too much. 

“You feel so good, baby. So very good for me. God, I could fuck you all day, you know that? So sexy like this,” Louis tells him, releasing his dick for a moment to cup Harry’s stomach. That gives him an idea. He places his hand over Harry’s hard cock, trapping it between his fingers and his bump. He continues his slow ascend into madness, not moving his hips any faster, but allowing the momentum to move his hand against Harry’s bump, rubbing Harry’s hard shaft in the process. 

“Oh god. Fuck, Lou. So slow. Fuck,” Harry curses, never being able to form complete sentences when he is getting close to his release. Louis is lingering on the edge now, letting Harry take over his every sense. He grinds harder, circling his hips pushing himself as deep as he can possibly go. He can feel his dick drag across Harry’s prostate applying a constant pressure instead of just nudging  it over and over causing Harry to cry out. 

“Right there, baby?” Louis asks, although he already knows the answer. 

“Ye-yes,” Harry moans the sound going directly into Louis’ chest. His eyes are closed, head thrown back in pleasure. 

“Fuck, I’m so close. You have no idea what you do to me. No  _ fucking _ idea, baby,” Louis responds, continuing the slow grind of his hips and the even slower movement of his hands, concentrating on the taut skin cupped below his finger tips. His whole body feels like it’s on fire, every single nerve ending firing off at a rapid pace. 

“Oh god. Ri--  _ fuck _ . Lou,” Harry whines, beginning to meet Louis’ hips pushing his own back to go even deeper. 

Louis groans, “So deep. So fucking deep.”

“Fuck. I’m gonna-- I’m gonna-- ah!,” Harry shouts, and Louis feels it when Harry comes all over his hand and the expanse of his stomach. Louis works him through it, then picks up his movements just a bit, running his hand through Harry’s release on his protruding stomach, spurring him on. He releases a deep moan as he pumps his load into Harry’s waiting body, his whole body tensing with the force of his orgasm. He doesn’t move for a long moment, basking in the glory of his post orgasmic bliss. He enjoys feeling Harry’s bump move up and down with his erratic breath. When he begins to feel gross and sticky, he slowly pulls out listening to Harry whimper. 

“I’ll be right back, baby,” Louis tells him kissing his temple then slipping out of the bed. He goes into the ensuite to get a wet washcloth. He cleans himself with it then gets another one and walks back into the bedroom. Harry is almost asleep when Louis returns. He hums softly as Louis gently cleans him up, then tucks the covers around him. He throws the washcloth in the basket, turns off the lights and climbs in bed, cuddling behind his husband’s warm body. 

“Good night baby, I love you,” Louis says, kissing his cheek. 

“We love you, too,” Harry responds, words slurred with sleep. Louis smiles and lets his mind wander into a dream. 

 

__________

 

Harry wakes up several times throughout the night to pee, and he just can’t get comfortable. His back is starting to hurt, but he does manage to get a few hours of good sleep. When he hears Louis shuffling around behind him, he begins to attempt to actually sit up, wincing at the pain in his lower back. 

“Baby, you okay?” Louis asks, his lovely features morphing into concern. 

“Yeah, I think so, my back just keeps hurting,” Harry tells him

“Oh, want me to rub it?” Louis offers. Harry smiles and nods, moving around so Louis can get behind him. When Harry feels Louis’ nimble fingers on his spine, he almost moans. 

“Thank you, love,” Harry finally says, turning to smile at his husband. Louis returns his smile, eyes crinkling and sparkling in the natural light of the room. 

“Do you all want breakfast?” Louis asks, rubbing Harry’s exposed stomach soothingly. 

“Maybe just something small. I’m not feeling the best this morning,” Harry replies, making his way out of the bed. 

“Are you sure you’re okay, baby?” Louis asks, brows drawn in concern.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Just feeling kind of off is all,” Harry responds, but Louis doesn’t look convinced. They go down stairs, and Louis moves about the kitchen making them a very light breakfast, Harry feels a pain in his lower abdomen. It feels a lot like the Braxton Hicks contractions he has been getting infrequently for the past few weeks, but this time it’s a lot worse. He winces and rubs the area. He glances up to make sure Louis didn’t notice, not wanting to worry his husband. Thankfully Louis wasn’t paying attention to him, instead humming a song and putting bread in the toaster. 

Less than an hour later, Harry has another painful cramping sensation in his lower abdomen, this one stronger.  He and Louis are cuddling on the couch, watching a movie, and he barely conceals a wince this time. He actually feels it under his fingers when his stomach stiffens up with it. He thinks he may actually be going into labor, but he doesn’t tell his husband, not wanting him to freak out when it could be nothing. If he is, the contractions aren’t close enough together to go to the hospital or anything. He notes the time, then tries to concentrate on the movie, but his brain is whirring with the fact that he could be in labor. Fuck. What if he is? 

Forty five minutes later, another one hits. This one a bit stronger and definitely there, the pain starting to move into his lower back as well. He shuffles around on the couch, trying to get comfortable. “Hey, Lou. Can we go for a walk?” Harry asks, getting an idea. He knows that walking can help move labor along faster. Maybe a walk will tell him if he actually is in labor or not. 

“Yeah. If you want, why?” Louis asks, squinting his eyes at Harry suspiciously. 

“It just looks like a nice day out and maybe the fresh air will help me feel a bit better,” Harry answers. It isn’t a lie; it’s just not entirely the truth. 

“Okay, yeah. Lets go change,” Louis suggests, helping Harry up from the couch. Five minutes later, they are heading out the door into the cool March air. The sun is shining brightly, and the fresh air really does help clear his mind again. 

“This is nice,” Harry says, taking a deep breath and looking around at the street. There are others walking, but it’s mostly quiet. He and Louis intertwine their fingers as they walk, the movement as natural as breathing at this point. 

“So, I guess Gemma and Niall are pretty serious,” Louis starts, grabbing Harry’s hand, squeezing a bit, telling him that he is nervous to bring up this particular topic. 

“Yeah. They made it official right before I was put on bedrest,” Harry says easily, trying to show Louis that the topic doesn't bother him anymore. He has had plenty of time to accept it. 

“Niall told me that he really likes her, you know? I don’t want you to worry about her. I know it’s hard. God knows I have a shit tonne of sisters,” Louis laughs slowing down his pace a bit since Harry has to walk slowly. 

“I know. I’ve come to accept it. He makes her really happy, and that’s all I want. Plus these little monsters are gonna need some cousins someday,” Harry replies, rubbing down the expanse of his bump. 

“Do you think they are that serious though?” Louis asks leaning his head to the side in thought. 

“You know, I kind of think they are. Gemma doesn't ever date someone unless she can see a future with them. That’s not her thing. The fact that they are actually dating, says something. Well about her feelings at least.” They pause for a second and step to the side letting a mom pass through pushing a stroller. Harry glances down at the baby inside, smiling to see it is sound asleep. He smiles again, the feeling of excitement bubbling in his chest. 

“Same for Niall.” Louis begins walking again, his comment bringing Harry back to the current conversation. They continue on for a little while  in companionable silence. Harry glances at his watch again, when the next pain hits, pausing his steps and concentrating on breathing through it. Thankfully they were at a crosswalk, so Louis doesn’t notice the reason as to why Harry stopped walking. He times the pain this time. It last for a solid 30 seconds before it goes away. This one coming just over thirty minutes since the last. This might actually be it. 

Half an hour later, they walk through the threshold of the doorway and another much stronger contraction hits him. This time he can’t stop his face from contorting to reflect the pain he is in. He grabs his stomach, feeling the muscles clench beneath his hand, and grips the door frame, holding himself up. He looks down at his watch to time it. Just over thirty seconds this time. Once it recedes, he looks up to find Louis’ blue eyes on him, a worried and confused expression on his face. 

“Haz, baby, are you having contractions?” Louis asks, his voice much calmer than Harry thought it would be at this point. Harry decides he can’t lie anymore. He is in labor at this point and these are contractions. They aren't going away. In fact, they are becoming much more frequent and intense. 

“Yeah,” Harry answers, beginning to walk once again so he can actually shut the door. 

“What? How far apart are they? How long have they been happening? Fuck. Why didn’t you tell me?” Louis asks the questions so quickly, Harry’s brain has trouble processing them all, and Harry has gotten used to Louis’ quick speech pattern over the years. This, though, this was on a whole new level. 

“They started this morning. I didn’t tell you because I thought they were Braxton Hicks Contractions at first,” Harry answers the second and third questions sitting down on the couch because he suddenly feels tired. 

“How do you know they aren’t?” Louis asks, staying standing and looking down on him. 

“Well they haven't gone away. They are much more frequent now and are getting stronger,” Harry supplies, seeing the next question on Louis’ lips, so he answers before he even gets to ask. “They are a little over half an hour apart now, and are lasting about thirty seconds.” 

“Harry, we need to call Dr. Burns and get you to the birthing center,” Louis says, pulling his phone out of his back pocket. 

“No. That’s not necessary.” 

“What? You are having contractions. You are in labor. You need to go to the birthing center,” Louis replies slowly, as if Harry doesn't know what the fuck is going on. 

“Yes, Lou,” Harry starts trying to keep his temper in check, “I am aware of all of that, but it’s too soon.”

“What do you mean too soon? You are in labor,” Louis insist, his face looking a bit panicked now. 

“They aren’t going to be able to do anything there that I can’t do here. If I'm not at least four centimeters dilated, they'll just send me home. I would rather be in the comforts of my own home as long as I can. Trust me on this, Lou. You said I should trust my body, so that’s what I’m doing,” Harry reasons, looking into Louis’ eyes, trying to show him how sure he was about this. 

 

___________

 

Fucking Harry and his hippie dippie bullshit. He is driving Louis mad. It has been hours since Harry had his first contraction, and he still refuses to go to the birthing center. All he keeps saying is that he isn't four centimeters yet, repeating it over and over like a mantra. That's all fine and dandy for people carrying one baby, but the last time Louis checked, they were having three for God’s sake. 

In lieu of going to the birthing center, however,Harry has been meditating and breathing through most of his contractions, walking around a lot, but not doing what Louis wants. Of fucking course. It is infuriating. His contractions are now about seven minutes apart, and lasting for almost a full minute each time. Louis feels helpless. He hates seeing Harry in pain. He wishes he could go through it for him, but Harry seems to be handling it well. When Louis knows the next contraction is about to hit, he tries to get close to Harry, holding his hand or rubbing his back and shoulders and helping him to breathe through it. 

“The next one should be soon,” Louis says, finding Harry sitting crossed legged on their bed with his eyes closed, breathing deeply. Jesus fuck, Louis fell in love with the oddest person. He wouldn’t have it any other way though. He slides in the bed behind Harry, each leg on either side of him. He looks down at his watch. It has been six minutes since the last one. 

“Fuck,” Harry says, starting to breath heavily again. Louis places his arms around Harry’s stomach, feeling the muscles actually contract beneath his fingers. He rubs the very firm skin, and breathes deeply, trying to get Harry’s breaths to match up with that of his own. Fuck. He hates this, and he knows it is only going to get worse. 

“That’s it, baby, just breathe,” Louis says, feeling it when Harry’s body relaxes. 

“It’s over.” Harry opens his eyes. 

“That one lasted for a minute,” Louis tells him, looking down at his watch. 

“I need to walk.” Harry starts to get up from the bed, and Louis helps him. He just wants Harry to go to the fucking birthing center. Is that really too much to ask? He knows that Harry is right, they won’t be able to do anything that he isn’t doing right now, however, Louis would just  _ feel  _ better if they were there. 

Harry spends the next five minutes pacing the room, holding his lower back as he does so. They don’t say anything. Louis just lets him to do whatever he feels like he needs to in order to get through this. Louis doesn't know what he is going through, but he knows it is painful. He would never truly know though. 

When Harry scrunches his face in pain, and clutches his Lower abdomen, Louis rushes to his side, letting Harry grip his shoulder. It hurts, but he doesn't complain because it can’t be anything near what Harry is feeling. He looks down at his watch, they are now five minutes apart. 

“Lou.” Harry’s voice breaks through his thoughts. It sounds pained and slightly panicked. Louis’ head snaps up, looking at Harry curiously. It’s the most panicked he has sounded all day, so a jolt of fear goes straight through Louis’ system. “I think my water just broke.” Louis looks down to see a wet spot on Harry’s yoga pants, Harry's bare feet now surrounded by a pool of liquid.

“Fuck. Can we please go to the birthing center now?” Louis does his best to keep the fear from his voice, but panic feels like it is gripping his throat like a vice. This is it. Harry is going to give birth. What if something goes wrong and one of the babies doesn't make it? Or worse, what if Harry doesn't make it?

“Yeah. I think that’s a good idea,” Harry answers, and Louis springs into action. He calls the center to tell them they are on their way. They ask him a few basic questions like how far apart the contractions are, and how long they have been going. He then helps Harry change into a fresh pair of yoga pants. He grabs their bags and they go down stairs, right as they are at the doorway, Harry pauses again, gripping Louis’ arm hard. 

“Fuck. Oh god, Lou, this is so much worse,” Harry pants out, scrunching his eyes shut and gritting his teeth. Louis looks down at his watch, clocking that it has been another 5 minutes and rubs Harry’s stomach, waiting for it to pass again, so they can leave. Louis read in one of the many pregnancy books Harry forced him to read, that contractions get so much worse once your water breaks. He also remembers reading that birth could happen five minutes or another five hours from the time the waters break, so he gently tries to hurry Harry along not wanting to take any chances. These babies are  _ not _ being born in their car. 

“Okay. I think I’m good now,” Harry breaths, right as Louis sees his body relax. Louis doesn't say anything, just places his hand on Harry’s lower back and leads him to their new van. He helps Harry into the passenger side, puts their bags in the trunk and gets in. He double checks that the carseats are all in their place, then backs out of the driveway.

“Lou, fuck. Hurry please,” Harry says. His knuckles are white as he grips the ‘oh shit’ bar in his pain. Louis looks at the time. Still five minutes, but they must be much stronger now. He bites back a remark about wanting to have left hours ago and concentrates on the road. Probably driving much too fast. A few minutes later they are pulling into the parking lot of the birthing center. It is not much different than a hospital. They still have nurses and doctors on staff, a neonatal care unit, and all sorts of equipment, they just have a bit more flexibility, like allowing a water birth. 

Louis gets out of the car, forgetting about the bags and runs to Harry’s side. When he gets there, Harry is already opening the door and stepping out. He pauses and leans heavily on the seat when another contraction hits. Louis has never felt more helpless in his life as he watches Harry’s beautiful features grimace in pain. He rubs Harry’s sides, whispering words of encouragement as it passes. At Harry’s nod, Louis takes his hand and leads him into the center. 

“Hi, I called a few minutes ago. I’m Louis Styles-Tomlinson, and my husband is in labor,” Louis rushes out, probably barely making the sentences coherent in his current state of panic. 

“Yes. Mr. Styles-Tomlinson. We called Dr. Burns, she is on her way. This is Carla, she is a registered nurse and midwife and she will take care of you until Dr. Burns arrives,” she gestures to a nurse who comes out with a wheelchair. 

“Um… I’d rather walk,” Harry tells her, looking down at it in distaste. Stubborn Harry. 

“Okay, Sir. It is your preference,” she smiles politely. 

“For God’s sake, Harry. Stop being so stubborn and sit in the damn chair,” Louis snaps, the stress of the situation finally getting to him. Harry’s head snaps up, his green eyes narrowed at Louis, boring right down to his bones.

“I would rather walk. The gravity is…” 

“Yes. Yes. I know. The gravity is good to help labor along blah, blah, blah,” Louis waves dismissively getting far too frustrated with his husband now. He bites his tongue before he says anything more to piss him off. 

“Gentlemen, I know this is a stressful situation. There is no need to argue. Harry, you don’t have to use the chair if you don’t want. It is just an option,” she tells them. Harry shakes his head once, and Louis knows he has lost this battle. She leads them down the hallway, having to pause when Harry has another contraction. After its over, she leads them into a room. The room has a bed in the center, with a table. In the corner, there is a huge round birthing pool. It is empty. Louis figures they will fill it once they know where Harry is in terms of labor. 

Nurse Carla gets Harry’s vitals, tapping them into a tablet. She listens to the babies heart beats, and tells them they all sound strong. Not at all in distress, and Louis feels relieved at that information. She asks Harry if he would like some pain relief, but of course he refuses. Damn hippie. She then gives Harry a gown to change into, then exits telling them to push the call button if they need anything and that Dr. Burns will come in as soon as she gets there. Louis smiles gratefully at her, knowing they had probably put her in an awkward position earlier. 

“I’m sorry,” Louis apologizes, as he helps Harry out of his clothes. 

“It’s okay. I know you’re probably worried and stressed,” Harry shrugs, stepping out of his pants. He stops, and Louis can visibly see his entire naked body tensing with this contraction. Louis winces for him, grabbing him and rubbing any available surface of his skin. 

“I just feel so helpless, Haz. I hate this. I hate seeing you in pain, and I can’t do anything about it,” Louis admits, once the contraction has passed. It is suddenly odd to him how these things have kind of become normal to them. Like they just pause what they are doing until it is over then pick back up as if it never happened. 

“I know, but you are doing everything you can. You being here is what I want and appreciate. Let me do the hard part for once.” Harry smiles then turns around, so Louis can tie his gown. 

“Fuck Harry, will you please just lay down on the bed for a little while. Try to relax. You’re going to need all of your energy,” Louis begs. 

“Okay. I will, if you lay with me,” Harry agrees. Louis nods, pushing the button to move the back of the bed into a sitting position.  He then gets on the bed, spreading his legs wide. He knows this is Harry’s favorite way to lay to cuddle. Harry sits between the cradle of his legs, leaning so his back is against Louis’ chest. Louis enjoys the warm pressure of Harry against his body. He kisses Harry’s cheek and looks down at his watch. 

“How much longer,” Harry asks, resting his head on Louis’ shoulder. His curls tickling Louis cheek and nose. 

“Probably not long,” Louis says apologetically, and he is correct. Not a minute later, he feels the next one hit. If he can feel it, he can’t imagine what the pain Harry is in is like. Harry closes his eyes tight, breathing through his nose, moving his leg from side to side as if it helps him keep his mind off the physical pain. 

They hear a knock on the door right as the contraction passes. Both of their heads snap in the direction of the door as Harry says “Come in,”relaxing into Louis again. 

“So I hear someone is going to have some babies today,” Dr. Burns says by way of greeting, large smile on her face. 

“Let’s hope,” Harry says patting his stomach. They tell her how far apart the contractions are and how long they have been lasting. 

“Okay, let’s take a look and get an idea of how dilated you are.” Louis moves out from behind Harry, and watches as she lowers the back of the bed so Harry is on his back. Harry spreads his legs as she puts gloves on. 

“Okay, you’re gonna feel some pressure Harry,” she tells him, resting her free hand on Harry’s stomach. 

“Already been feeling that,” Harry says cringing. 

“Okay, you are about 7 centimeters dilated. Your cervix is about 85% effaced and the first fetal station is +1. Since your water broke, you will be moving a long much more quickly than you had earlier. It probably won't be long now. Let's do an ultrasound to take a look at their positions,” she tells them, taking off her gloves. Louis watches as Harry winces, another contraction hitting him. Louis doesn't know how he isn’t crying out in pain at this point. His husband is much stronger than he would be in his position. The nurse comes back in, and helps Dr. Burns with the ultrasound machine. Before they know it, the screen is lit up and they are looking at their babies. 

“It looks like we are in luck. They are all still turned head down. You can see the first one has already made her way into the birth canal. I think both of their sacs burst at the same time, which is common. Usually when one goes, the other will follow shortly after. Their heartbeats are still strong. None seem to be in distress. You are very luck. You could be pushing in the next few hours,” she tells them, turning the machine off. 

“Can I, like, walk around?” Harry asks, already moving to the edge of the bed. 

“Yes. I actually recommend it, but don’t go too far. If you start feeling lots of pressure, find someone to help you. I will check back in with you shortly, to see how you’re progressing.

“Before we go Haz, I should call our mom’s, and Niall and Liam,” Louis tells him getting out his cell phone. In all of the excitement, he almost forgot to call them. Anne and Jay would never forgive him if they missed the birth of their first grandchildren. Harry nods, so Louis gets on the phone quickly telling both Anne and Jay what the doctor had just said. Both women started crying and tell him that they would be there as soon as possible. Once he hangs up with them, he stops in his tracks rushing over to Harry’s side as another contraction hits. After it's over, he calls Niall, telling him Harry is in labor and asks him to call Liam to fill him in. Once Niall says he will do that, he hangs up. 

“Okay, my mom and Anne are on their way. Niall and Liam will probably come after they are born. They don’t want to be in the way,” Louis tells him, holding his hand when another contraction rocks his body. 

“Okay,” Harry nods. “Can we walk now?” He asks, once it’s over. Louis nods.  Louis and Harry walk down the hallways, pausing every three minutes as Harry goes through yet another contraction. The last one was rough, it lasted over a minute, and Harry actually cried out. He had tears in his eyes when it was finally over, and it broke Louis’ heart. He could never love Harry more than he did at that moment. Watching him go through all of this for their babies is the most brave and selfless thing Louis has ever witnessed anyone do. Thirty minutes and ten contractions later, they are back in their room. Dr. Burns said the walk helped and Harry is now dilated to almost eight centimeters. 

“Can I please get in the pool, now? Maybe the warm water will help,” Harry asks Dr. Burns, a begging tone to his deep voice making Louis wince. 

“As quickly as your progressing now, I think that will be fine,” She answers, signaling for the nurse to start filling up the pool in the corner of the room to the temperature needed for a water birth. Just as the tub is done, and Harry stands, there is a knock on the door. Louis goes to answer it and finds Anne on the other side, smiling. 

“Hey, Louis. How is he?” She asks, peeking around the corner to look for her son. 

“I mean, as good as he can be given that he has been in labor for hours now. He is getting ready to get in the birthing pool to hopefully relieve some of the pain. He hasn’t had any kind of medication, and at this point it’s too late,” he explains, trying not to let the worry show in his voice. He thinks he misses the mark because Anne wraps him in a tight hug. 

“I know it’s hard watching him go through this, Lou, and you feel helpless, but trust me. Just you being here for him, is helping him so much,” she whispers. When Louis nods, even though he doesn't fully believe her, she pulls back, and he leads her into the room. 

“Mom! You made it,” Harry exclaims, then another contraction hits him. Louis can see his whole body tense as he clenches his jaw, probably trying not to cry out in pain. Louis hates this so much. Anne rushes to his side and holds his hand as he breathes through it. Louis doesn't go this time, knowing Anne wants to be there for him as much as he does. “Sorry,” he says once it’s over.

“You don’t need to apologize, honey,” Anne says, giving him a hug and kissing him on the cheek. 

“Baby, we’ve got about three minutes before the next one hits to get you in the pool,” Louis prompts once he sees the water has been filled.  

“Yeah, okay. Can you help me untie this, Lou? Sorry, mom, but you’re gonna see me naked,” Harry shoots her a cheeky smile, and Louis almost forgets that his husband has been in so much pain. Then he notices the little things. The smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes, it looks almost like a grimace. His eyes are more dull, and he has a sheen of sweat on his forehead. Louis springs into action. He and Anne help Harry from the bed, then Louis unties the gown string, letting it fall from Harry’s frame. He sits it on the bed, and looks at his husbands naked body. Yes, he is very much going to miss his bump. Anne and Louis both take one of Harry’s hands then and lead him into the tub, helping him sit very carefully. 

“This is your warning,” Louis tells him looking down at his watch. He doesn't think he has looked at his watch so much in his life. He feels the warm water around his fingers as Harry grips his hands, trying to prepare himself for the onslaught of pain. Louis uses his other hand to card his fingers through Harry’s messy, sweaty hair, whispering words of encouragement. 

“Fuck. They’re getting worse,” Harry breathes once it’s over. “Lou, will you please get in the water with me? Please? I need you. I think it will help.” 

“Can I?” Louis asks the midwife as she uses a Doppler device to listen to the heartbeats of their babies while Harry is in the water. 

“Yeah. That’s fine. We encourage it,” she answers, over the sounds of three strong heart beats flooding the room, smiling. 

“Anne, here are my keys. Can you run to the van and get our bags? I would, but…” He lets his sentence trail off and glances desperately at Harry, the unfinished words ‘I can’t leave him like this’, hanging in the air between them. 

“Of course, I can,” she says, taking the keys and smiling. She quietly exits the room right as Louis hears Harry moan. He rushes to his side, dipping his hand in the water to rub Harry’s protruding stomach. It is from under his fingers he feels the force of the contraction. Harry cries out, tears in his eyes as he tries to breathe through it, using some of the techniques he learned in their birthing class. Louis hates to admit it ,but Sheila may just know what she's talking about, despite her flower child methods.

“Lou, I need you in here, please,” Harry cries, a fat tear falling down his cheeks. 

“Shh baby, I know.” Louis pets his husband trying to sooth him. “I will be in there soon, I promise. Just hold on. My swim trunks are in my bag, and your mom went to grab it.” 

“Look who I found,” Anne says, walking through the door then. Louis looks up to see his mom behind her, smiling. She comes up and hugs Louis first, looking at him to make sure he isn’t freaking out too much. Which he is. 

“Alright, baby, I’m gonna go change, then I can get in the water with you,” he glances down at his watch. “I don’t know if I can get done before the next contraction. Will you be okay without me?” Harry nods, but he doesn't look convinced. 

“Go. We will take care of him for a little bit,” Anne says, her voice low so only Jay and Louis can hear. With one final glance at his husband, he runs to the ensuite. He doesn't think he has ever changed his clothes so fast in his life. He could have won an Olympic gold medal for it, really. When he emerges, he rushes to Harry’s side who is in the middle of another contraction. He doesn't even think about it, as he hops into the pool, sliding in behind Harry and holding him in the cradle of his legs, rubbing his stomach and sides. 

“I can’t do this,” Harry says after it’s over, breathing deep. Louis’ heart breaks for him, because there is nothing he can do. His stomach sinks with the knowledge that he is helpless in this. It is all on Harry. All he can do is offer words of encouragement and support. 

“You can do this love. You’ve already come so far, and I am so very proud of you,” Louis whispers in his ear, pulling hair off his sweaty forehead. He can see that the long curls are starting to annoy Harry, so he gathers them all in his hands, and pulls it up into a messy bun using the hair tie that lives permanently on his wrist. He blows on Harry’s skin, trying to cool it. 

“Thank you,” Harry says and turns a bit to smile at him, but again it doesn’t reach his eyes. Louis can’t wait until this is over. He just wants Harry to really smile again. The group talks amongst themselves as Harry goes through a few more contractions, Louis holding him through process. They are getting both longer and more frequent. Louis knows that Harry will want to start pushing soon. 

“How are you all doing?” Dr. Burns says, coming into the room. 

“They are getting stronger and closer together. They are also lasting longer,” Louis informs. “Oh, Dr. Burns. This is Harry’s mom, Anne, and my mom, Jay.” They shake hands, nodding and smiling at each other. 

“Lots of pressure,” Harry nods. 

“Okay that’s all very normal. Let’s check how far you are dilated, shall we?” she asks, taking the blue gloves the nurse offers her. “How are their heart rates?” She asks the nurse while performing the exam. 

“All are strong, 134, 136, 156,” the nurse answers. 

“Good. Harry, you are about nine centimeters dilated. Soon, your contractions will get closer together to the point where they never really stop. You will feel even more pressure and the urge to push. If I’m not in here, tell the nurse to come and get me,” she says, pulling off her gloves. 

“Okay,” Harry nods, voice wavering a bit. She smiles and exits the room with a small wave. 

“She’s nice,” Anne observes when the door clicks shut. 

“Yeah. She’s great,” Louis agrees, reaching his hands between their bodies to rub Harry’s lower back. Harry has been squirming, probably uncomfortable from the immense amount of pressure. 

“Fuck. Oh god, Lou, I feel like I need to push. I need to,” Harry tells him after a few more really hard contractions, eyes shut tight, another tear falling down his cheek. 

“Don’t do it yet, let them go get Dr. Burns,” Louis tells him, trying to calm him down a bit. He seems almost desperate with it, but Louis doesn't want him to do anything until the doctor is in the room. With panicked eyes, Louis nods to Anne and Jay. 

“We will go find a nurse. We love you,” Jay says then both moms come up to kiss them each on the cheek before rushing to exit the room. 

“I need to, Lou,” Harry begs, clenching his jaw. He pulls out of Louis’ grip and away from his body, getting on his knees, using the edge of the pool for balance. Panic is gripping Louis’ throat choking him. He can’t let Harry start pushing. What if he has their first baby and the doctor isn’t in here? What if the baby dies and it’s all his fault? He feels like he may actually vomit with the very thought. All he can do, is help Harry keep his balance as he widens his knees on the tub floor. 

Louis sighs in relief when the doctor comes rushing into the room, a nurse hot on her heels. She doesn't say anything as she puts gloves on then dips her hands into the water. The nurse doing the same holding the Doppler, listening for heartbeats. 

“You are at 10 centimeters. Not crowning quiet yet, but I can feel the first baby’s head. With your next contraction, Harry, I want you to push for 10 seconds. Do you want to stay on your knees like this?” The doctor’s voice is calm. Louis doesn't know how because he is freaking the fuck out. This is happening. Jesus fuck this is actually happening. He is about to watch his first child being born. Harry nods, both hands gripping the side as he waits for the next contraction to hit him. This is the routine for the next half hour. Harry pushes for ten seconds, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes tightly shut throughout, then rest for the minute allotted before the next contraction hit.

“Fuck this burns,” Harry grits out, after pushing. 

“You’re crowning,” Dr. Burns tells him, feeling between his legs. “I can feel the hair,” she tells them smiling. 

Harry smiles back, and it’s genuine this time. The first genuine smile since he went into labor. He looks tired though, so, so tired and he isn’t even halfway through yet. “You can feel for yourself, if you’d like,” she offers. 

“Really?” he asks and she nods, so he reaches a tentative hand down to feel the head. Louis watches as his eyes tear up for a whole other reason than the pain. 

“Another one,” Louis warns looking down at his watch noting that it is almost midnight. Harry has been in labor for the better part of 16 hours. He rubs Harry’s lower back like he has been doing all day and most of the night, not really being able to do anything else. He counts out loud when Harry begins to push again, finding that it helps Harry when he has an audible goal. Harry also told him that the sound of his voice soothes him a bit, and gives him strength. Louis can’t argue with that, so he does it. Anything to bring Harry comfort right now. 

“The head’s out,” Dr. Burns announces two more pushes later. Harry grabs Louis’ hand and pushes it between his legs. Louis almost cries when he feels what he knows to be a small head with soft hair. 

“Alright, one more big push for the shoulders, then you may get a chance to rest,” she instructs. Louis removes his hands, and smiles because fuck, he will get to meet his first child in mere minutes. 

“Here it comes,” Harry pants then starts pushing again, hard. Dr. Burns places her hands to guide the baby out. Louis watches with wide eyes as an extremely small baby, comes shooting out. Dr. Burns grabs her, and brings her to the surface. The nurse assigned to her rushes over, suctioning out her airways. Louis blinks back tears, because she is just so fucking beautiful, it hurts. Exhausted, Harry collapses against the side of the tub. Once she cries a bit, they place the tiny baby on his chest over his bump. Harry is crying too, so Louis wipes his eyes looking at the two people he loves most in the world. His heart feels so full it could burst. 

“Would you like to cut the cord?” Dr. Burns asks, as the nurse ties it off. Louis nods, wiping his eyes with a shaky hand as he grabs the large metal scissors and cuts the cord. 

Their joy is short lived when another contraction hits Harry almost immediately. He whines when their first baby is taken off his chest, preparing to birth the next one. He already looks so tired, Louis can’t imagine how this must feel. Harry quickly repositions himself in the same stance he had been in before and he starts pushing again. 

“Hold on, Harry. Stop pushing. I need you to stop,” Dr. Burns says sternly, feeling between Harry’s legs. Harry whines, but he doesn't see the look on her face. She looks a bit panicked, and Louis feels fear grip his heart like a vice. Is something wrong? Louis can tell by the look in her eyes something is wrong. Very wrong. 

“What? What’s happening?” Louis tries to keep the panic from his voice, not wanting to alert Harry, but it doesn't work. Harry looks at him with wide eyes, clearly starting to freak out too. 

“The next baby is breech. It must have turned at the last moment,” Dr. Burns informs them, a calmness to her tone that belies the severity of the situation. A cold chill of fear goes through Louis, numbing his bones. Breech? What does this mean? He knows what it actually means, but it’s high risk. Very high risk, so much so that he may lose them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments are always welcome!  
> Follow me on my social media for updates or just to chat xx  
> Twitter: @Wicked_Archer  
> Tumblr: wicked-archer


	12. The Golden Trio

“I need to push,” Harry says, closing his eyes.

“Don’t. You can’t. Not yet,” Dr. Burns says sternly.

“I need to push, Lou. Please. I need to. You don’t understand. I need to, oh god, Lou,” Harry begs looking at him for help. Louis can’t do anything though. The elation he felt with the birth of their daughter is quickly replaced by a feeling of panic, fear, and helplessness. He feels sick. The look in Harry’s eyes makes him want to cry. He looks panicked and desperate. His green eyes are brimmed with tears and his lips are red from exertion.

“I know baby, but you can’t. Listen to the doctor. Don’t push yet. I promise you can in a minute,” Louis says even though, logically, he knows he can’t make that promise. At this point, though he would promise Harry the moon and the stars just to take away the look of desperation and fear on Harry's face.

“Harry. We need to get you out of the pool and onto the bed,” Dr. Burns says, Doppler in her hand listening for a heart beat.

“But, my water birth,” Harry protests, looking between the nurses, Louis, and Dr. Burns.

“I need to be able to see, Harry. The water is distorting my view,” she tells him, trying to get him to see reason.

“Baby, come on. The bed is fine,” Louis says, not wanting to waste anymore time before the next contraction hits.

“Oh-okay,” Harry agrees, nodding his head. He looks really upset though. Louis knows how much he wanted the water birth, but things change.

“We have only a few seconds before the next contraction, a minute at most. On three, I need you to get out of the water and walk to the bed as quickly as you can. Do you understand?” Dr. Burns instructs, keeping eye contact with Harry the whole time. The situation is dire and hits Louis like a freight train. She is obviously concerned about this, and, fuck, so is he. He needs to stay strong for Harry though. So on three, he helps Harry to his feet and out of the pool to go over to the bed.

“Lou, get behind me. If I’m doing this on the bed, then I’m not doing it on my back,” Harry tells him, so Louis does as asked, positioning himself against the wall to support Harry. Harry puts his feet flat on the bed, squatting. His back is resting against Louis’ chest, so he doesn't have to do much to keep balance. He is leaning heavily on Louis, but Louis doesn't care. He wants to do everything in his power to help Harry.

“Okay. The baby’s heart rate has gone up a bit in distress, so we need to get her out quickly. I will be helping guide her out.” Dr. Burns says, getting in front of Harry, the nurses all gathered around her.

“Okay. Another one is coming,” Harry tells them, closing his eyes.

“You can push now, Harry, but you need to push hard. Since she’s breech, you are going to have to work twice as hard to get her out.” Harry starts pushing. Louis can feel his entire body baring down into his. He squeezes Louis’s hands and holds his breath, pushing. His skin is red and blotchy, a sheen of sweat breaking out all over it with the effort. Louis can’t see the actual birth from his position behind Harry, so he just allows Harry to break his hands with the force of his grip. He whispers words of encouragement in Harry’s ear, occasionally kissing behind it or on his sharp jaw.

“I love you, baby. You can do this. I know you can. You’re so strong, Harry. So amazing,” Louis says, kissing his earlobe this time.

“It’s the smaller twin. She’s almost out. Just the head left,” Dr. Burns says, looking into Louis’ eyes. Louis sniffles, trying to hold back tears at the news. Maybe she is going to be okay. “Stop pushing, Harry,” she commands right in the middle of a push. Harry releases his breath in a woosh, letting his head loll back onto Louis’ shoulder whinging with the need to keep pushing.

“I’m so tired, Lou. I can’t do this anymore.” Harry’s voice is low and muffled, barely above a whisper now. Louis can’t see his face, but he know he is crying. Fuck. Louis wants to cry, too. Instead, he places his hands on either of Harry’s bump.

“Yes. You can, baby. I know you can,” Louis tries to put strength into his tone, and he thinks he may have succeeded when Harry nods.

“Okay. Push one more time. Hard,” Dr. Burns says. Louis can see her arms moving between Harry’s legs, probably to guide her bottom and shoulders out. Harry starts to push. A few seconds later, Harry collapses against his chest, his legs finally giving out with exhaustion. Louis does his best to hold him up, his back pressing against the wall hard, but he won’t complain. Would never complain about his husband using him for support. Harry reaches for her, but Dr. Burns quickly cuts the cord, handing the very small baby to a nurse nearby.

“I know you want to hold her, Harry, but you can’t. She is very small. Her lungs are slightly  underdeveloped, which we knew, and her heart rate is too high from the stress of the birth. We need to let the nurses take care of her,” Dr. Burns says, and the fear is back. It seeps into Louis’ bones like ice water. The words ‘underdeveloped’, ‘small’ and ‘high’ play on repeat in his mind. He can feel his breaths getting shallow as the panic rises in his chest, but he needs to get a grip. He has to, for Harry, for their family. He closes his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. Harry’s head is still resting heavily on his shoulder, but Louis thinks he is too exhausted to notice Louis’ panic.

“Okay, now that the identical twins are out, you may get a moment to rest before your son is born. We’re not getting back into the water since the last one was extremely stressful for the babies,” Dr. Burns says. A nurse comes around to strap a heart rate monitor around Harry’s now much smaller stomach. Louis has to move to allow her to do so. It is so hard to physically remove himself from Harry’s body. His arms are hanging by his side, legs open wide. His eyes are closed, letting his back rest against the pillows and bed that has now been moved to prop him up. Louis doesn’t think he has ever seen Harry look this tired. A tear has escaped his closed eyes, making its way down his cheek. Harry doesn’t even move to wipe it away. His mouth open, his breathing hard.

Louis hears when they turn the machine on, his son’s heartbeat filling the room. He glances over to see it on the monitor, the number displayed with a the heart rate line beneath, a visual representation that their son is alive and doing okay, given the circumstances. Poor Harry doesn’t get much time to rest, as he starts contracting again, not even three minutes after their last daughter was born. Louis watches with wide eyes as the doctor checks him.

“He’s coming nicely down the birth canal, Harry. I can feel his head. With the next contraction, you can start pushing again,” Harry nods, breathing Heavy and eyes drooping. It is now well after midnight. He has been in labor since 8 am the day before. Louis is fucking exhausted, and he hasn’t been in pain nor been pushing two, soon to be three human beings out. Louis can’t imagine.

“I want Lou to deliver him,” Harry requests, his words slurred. He must be fucking delirious because Louis can’t deliver a baby. Louis’ eyes widen with the request. He looks at the doctor for help. Some kind of reassurance.

“Yeah. That’s fine as long as he isn’t in distress,” Dr. Burn says, stepping to the side. Louis feels numb as he sits on the bed between Harry’s legs. He can see just the smallest peek of the baby’s head emerging. Harry starts to push with the next contraction. Louis isn’t sure what to do, so he just watches with wide eyes as the head slowly, ever so slowly, begins to emerge. He has dark hair, and is bigger than his sisters. The head goes back in between contractions, frustrating Louis because he feels like the progress made is lost.

“Again,” Harry pants. He holds one knee to his chest, while Louis holds the other, pushing it back trying to help his husband gain some leverage. Harry is far too tired to continue squatting.

“That’s it baby,” Louis says, head now almost halfway out. He thinks he may be crying, but he doesn't wipe them away, not wanting to take his eyes off his own son being born for a second. He sniffles as Harry grabs his leg again, bearing down hard listening as Louis counts to ten.

“Heads out,” Louis announces, Harry releasing his legs, resting a moment between contractions. He takes Harry’s hand, gently placing it on their sons’ head, full of light hair. They lock eyes, both openingly crying now. The moment is so intimate, Louis almost forgets there are other people in the room watching their intimate exchange.

“Fuck,” Harry grunts.

“One more big push, Hazza, and he’s out,” Louis smiles, trying to sound encouraging. With this contraction, Harry grabs both of his long legs pulling them to the point his knees are almost touching his shoulders, essentially folding his body in half. Louis makes a mental note to never tease him about his yoga again. Louis doesn't help him hold his leg this time, knowing he is going to need to catch their son once his shoulders have made it out. Louis smiles encouragingly, glancing between Harry’s eyes, and the baby emerging. He gently places a hand under his head, helping to guide him out.

Once he sees a shoulder pop out, he quickly puts his other hand out, catching the baby as he slides out. Harry releases his legs, collapsing back in exhaustion. Louis is openingly bawling, letting the nurse come over and suction out his son's nose and mouth. He carefully lifts the their son, placing him on Harry’s chest. A nurse coming over with a blanket to wipe the small bundle off and to make sure he is warm. Harry has tears in his eyes as he holds their son close, kissing him on the forehead. The picture hurts Louis chest, forcing another sob from his body. He loves them all so much, and just doesn't know how to cope with the intense emotions that he is feeling. It’s all consuming. He never thought he could love someone at first sight, but it has happened not once, but three times tonight. He knows in that moment what true unconditional love is like. He would give up his life for them in an instant. He sniffles, but allows his tears to fall freely. The stress and happiness of the moment release from his eyes and fall down his cheeks.

He barely registers cutting the cord, too busy watching his husband with their son. Everything seems to be happening both quickly and in slow motion. He feels like he is suspended in the moment. They are now a family of five. He is a father. Harry has given him this joy, and he wants to spend the rest of his life repaying him for it. He knows he never wants to have this with anyone else. He loves Harry so much at that moment, it hurts. It feels like it may crack is rib cage, spill from his chest, and drown the entire world.

“Okay, Harry. Time to birth the placentas,” Dr. Burns says, her voice breaking the fragile moment. Suddenly everything is moving at a normal speed again. Louis shakes his head, attempting to reorient himself. “This should be a breeze.” She smiles, and Louis moves, letting her take his place.

“Go tell our moms, Lou. I can do this alone,” Harry tells him as Dr. Burns administers a drug into Harry’s thigh to help release the placentas from his body. He looks exhausted but happy. Like the last birth gave him just a tiny bit of energy. Louis nods grabbing a shirt and exiting the room. He feels the tiredness seep into his bones. He could collapse on the floor and fall asleep at this point, but he forces himself to move forward. He checks his phone to find dozens of text from family and friends, having heard the news. He sends an update out to a few, as he walks through the doors to the waiting room. Anne and Jay jump up at is arrival, matching worried expressions on their faces.

“We are now a family of five,” Louis announces, smiling when both women bring their arms around him in a tight hug. He tells them how they are all very small and the story of the second birth. He glazes over some of the details, not wanting them to be even more worried.

“Congratulations, love,” Jay says, kissing his cheek again.

“Thank you. Why don’t you both go home. Or better yet, you could stay at our place since its closer. Come back in the morning. Harry is exhausted, and really needs to rest. You can probably see them all in the morning,” Louis tells them, suddenly feeling like he can’t keep his eyes open for another second.

“Okay. We will be back tomorrow. You and Harry get some rest. You’re gonna need it,” Anne tells him smiling, her dimples popping. Just like Harry. With one final goodbye, they leave. He heads back to their room to find Harry  with his gown back on and a blanket over his legs. His hair is messy and his eyes are closed. Louis can tell that he isn’t asleep though, based on his breathing pattern.

“Well the placentas look good,” Dr. Burns says from a spot beside the bed. “ All of the babies are doing fine, given the circumstances and how small they are. They are all in incubators. We want their lungs to develop a bit more. Your son, as we had thought, seems to be the healthiest. You can probably take him home in a few days, unfortunately his sisters may be here a while longer,” she informs him, and Louis nods expecting this. He is just happy that they are all alive. He can handle them being here for a little while if it means they will all be okay.  

“How’s Harry doing?” He asks, because that’s the most important thing to him right now.

“He’s doing great. He is exhausted, but his vitals are stable. I think what he needs right now is sleep. Why don’t you join him? Hit the call button if you need anything and congratulations again,” She says quietly. Louis nods and smiles at her glancing over at Harry who has his eyes open, watching their exchange. Dr. Burns waves then exits the room, followed by the nurse.

“Let me change.” Louis smiles when Harry makes grabby hands for him. He goes into the bathroom, quickly changing out of his swim trunks and into some athletic shorts. He ignores the recliner in the corner of the room, and climbs into the small bed beside Harry. Harry is still on his back, so Louis curls his body around him, pulling his hair from the bun so Louis can run his fingers through it. Louis reaches over to turn off the lamp, leaving the room in almost total darkness.

“‘M sleepy, Lou,” Harry slurs, voice low with exhaustion.

“Rest, Haz. You deserve it. You were so amazing. I can’t believe how strong you are. I love you _so_ much,” Louis replies, kissing him sweetly.

“I love you, too,” Harry murmurs, head lolling towards Louis as he falls asleep. Louis follows him quickly after, letting his exhaustion take over.

 

__________

 

Harry wakes up the next morning to his husband's breath on his neck. Overnight, they have moved into a spooning position, Louis holding Harry over his now somewhat deflated tummy. Harry is so fucking sore. He feels like his body has been run over by a truck. Three times. Every muscle screams as he shuffles a bit, trying to find his phone for the time. He finally locates Louis’ on the bedside table. It’s 6 am, and Harry kind of wants to die. He winces again when he moves his legs, the region between them being the most painful.

“Good morning, Harry,” a nurse says, walking into the room with a bright smile then. Harry doesn’t say anything, he isn’t sure his voice will work. “Are you in a lot of pain?” she asks.

“Umm.. yeah,” Harry tells her, his voice coming out as more of a croak than actual words. It must rouse Louis, because he begins moving around beside him, like he usually does when he starts to wake up. “Where are our babies? I wanna see them,” Harry says, the thought has been on his mind since he first came to consciousness.

“Let’s get you something for the pain, then I will take you and your husband down to the NICU to see them,” she says, looking at his chart.

“NICU?” Harry asks. He thought they were okay. He remembers clearly Dr. Burns telling Louis last night that they were okay.

“Relax, Sir. They are doing just fine. It is just protocol for babies born so small. Baby B’s lungs are a bit underdeveloped, but she is doing just fine. They are all fighters.” She holds a hand out to placate him. Louis is now fully awake, watching the scene unfold. Harry sighs in relief at the news. The nurse leaves soon after, returning with some pain relief medication for Harry. He only takes it after she assures him it will not make him drowsy.

“Okay. Let’s go see your babies,” she says, bringing a wheelchair over. Harry sits in it this time, with Louis’ help. He doesn't know if he would be able to walk ten steps, much less down a hallway. Louis pushes the chair as they follow the nurse down the hallway. Harry can tell his husband wants desperately to take off in a sprint, then hop on the back to let it take them both hurtling down the hallway. He doesn’t, and Harry is a bit disappointed. Harry is getting nervous about seeing them for some reason. The memory of seeing them for the first time will permanently be burned into his brain for the rest of his life, however, he doesn't know what to expect. They walk into the room slowly, other new parents milling about proudly looking at their own. Some look worried, and it breaks Harry’s heart a bit. He is so thankful that his children’s stint in the NICU is merely a precaution, a small stay to make sure they are fighting fit and not because of any serious, long term health complications.

“Here we are,” she gestures towards three clear containers with the smallest babies Harry has ever seen. Two are wearing pink hats, the biggest one, blue. The smallest one looks even smaller with so many monitors and iv’s hooked up to her. It breaks Harry’s heart to see something so tiny, with so many cords coming out. He supposes it’s necessary though. He watches her breathe for a moment, in awe of the whole thing. He and Louis are allowed to hold her sister and brother, smiling fondly at each other. After they spend some time with them, they reluctantly go back to their room. They nap on the bed together, still exhausted from the day before, until Louis’ phone wakes them up hours later.

“Hello,” Louis says, not even looking at the screen. Harry figures it is his mom, Jay, or one of their friends. His suspicions are confirmed when Louis nods and says “Yeah. You all can come down. Have Gemma call Niall and Liam. They deserve to see them too, since they are their uncles.” Louis finishes the conversation with an ‘I love you too’ and taps the button to end the call.

“They should be here in half an hour. Do you wanna get dressed?” Louis asks, looking at his hospital gown.

“I would really like a shower. I feel disgusting. Do you think I can?” Harry asks, suddenly feeling really sticky from sweating so much yesterday. Not to mention other undesirable bodily fluids.

“Let me find someone to ask.” Louis says,  getting up from the bed and disappearing out the door, coming back a minute later nodding his head and smiling. They don’t say anything as they share a quick shower. It had been a slightly terrifying experience, something neither of them ever thought a shower would be. The hot water that had cascaded over both of them had felt amazing on Harry's sore muscles, but he hadn't anticipated for excess blood from the birth to rapidly escape him, causing him to become light headed and almost fall. Louis had rushed to find a nurse, but she assured them both that it was a perfectly normal side effect of a natural birth, and Harry now felt about a thousand times better. He lets Louis help him into some pregnancy yoga pants, the extra room in the front still necessary and a bit of a relief. He steals one of Louis’ oversized hoodies from his bag. It’s tight, but Harry doesn't care. He hasn’t been physically able to wear Louis’ clothing in so long, he almost forgot how it feels to be completely surrounding by his scent. It’s nice and relaxing. Like coming home.

“Our families are coming to visit. Can you bring the babies in here?” Louis asks the nurse, helping Harry sit on the bed.

“Of course. I will even bring the smallest one in her incubator. It’s portable. You just won't be able to get her out an hold her.” She then leaves the room, returning with two other nurses all pushing the clear containers. She rolls the smallest baby to be beside the bed and places the other two in Harry and Louis’ waiting arms. Harry can’t keep his eyes off them all. His family. He has dreamed about this moment his entire life, and he doesn't really know how to process it all. Seeing Louis hold their daughter does something to his chest. It hurts in the best possible way. His heart just feels so full.

“Hey, can we come in?” Anne asks, peeking her head through the door a few moments later.

“Yes, come on in,” Harry answers from his seat beside Louis. They all pile into the room single file. Gemma and Niall holding hands and coming through last. They all linger by the door as if they aren’t sure what to do.

“What are you waiting for? Get in here and hold your grandchildren,” Louis says breaking the tension when everyone laughs. Jay and Anne are crying as they come up, taking the small babies out of their sons’ arms. Liam looks at the smallest baby in the incubator while Gemma and Niall peer over Anne and Jay’s shoulders.

“So, what are their names?” Gemma asks finally.

“Well. Anne, you are holding Olivia Anne. She was born on March 17th at 11:57pm. She weighs 4lbs and 12 oz,” Louis tells her, and Anne starts crying at the name, cooing at the tiny bundle in her arms.

“This one, our little fighter,” Harry says pointing to the incubator beside him, “Was born on a different day than her twin sister. March 18th at 12:10 am weighing 3lbs and 15oz. Her name is Darcy Johannah,” Harry says looking at Jay. He sees the moment she registers that their smallest daughter is named after her. She wipes her eyes, allowing Gemma to take their boy from her arms as she goes over to the incubator to peer down at the tiny baby.

“You both mean so much to us, we wanted to name them after you both. You were in our lives when our own fathers weren’t, and that means so much to us. You are the best moms we could ever ask for, so they are named after you, the other two most important women in our lives,” Louis says. With his words, both women start openly crying. He even sees Gemma sniffle, but she hides it quickly, being far too much like Louis, not liking to show her emotions.

“And this one,” Niall asks pointing to the boy in Gemma’s arms.

“This is Caedon. He is the biggest at 5 lbs and 7 oz. He was also born last at 12:52 am,” Louis supplies smiling.

“What’s his middle name?” Liam asks, looking at the baby.

“Oh. We wanted to name him after our best friends. So his name is Caedon James, after you and Niall,” Harry tells them, smiling when Niall’s blue eyes begin to suspiciously sparkle. They spend the next half an hour talking and debating about which baby looks like which parent. They’ve decided that Caedon looks like Louis, and Harry couldn’t agree more. His eyes are already a bright blue, and Harry didn’t foresee them changing colors. The girls though, are still up for debate.

 

__________

 

**_Three Weeks Later…_ **

“Alright, Mom, will see you in a little bit with Darce in tow,” Louis says into the receiver, then tapping the ‘call end’ button with his thumb. He walks back down the corridor towards the NICU, humming softly. When he gets closer though, he can hear the low voice of his husband. He creeps toward the door, not wanting to disturb whatever is going on. He peeks through the window to see his husband singing in his deep rough voice.

 

_I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance_

_Never settle for the path of least resistance_

_Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin'_

_Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'_

_Don't let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter_

_When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider_

_Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance_

_And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance_

 

_I hope you dance_

_I hope you dance_

 

_I hope you dance_

_I hope you dance_

 

_I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean_

_Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens_

_Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance_

_And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance_

 

_Dance_

 

Louis blinks back tears watching the scene unfold. Harry chose the song Louis had sang to them when he first felt them move. Hearing Harry sing it though, it makes his heart ache in his chest. He loves them all so much. The baby looks so tiny in Harry’s big hands, yet he is so gentle with her. She is looking up at him with large greenish-blue eyes, smiling happily at his voice. Once Louis sees that Harry is done with the song, he walks in slowly as if he didn’t just witness something that makes his heart burst.

“Darcy, are you ready to go home today?” Harry asks their littlest girl when he sees Louis walk in. He tips the tiny baby in Louis’ direction, so Louis can properly see her toothless smile. They had brought Caedon home three days after he was born, Olivia a week later, so now Darcy was the only one left. She was slow to gain weight after she was born and it took a while for her lungs to develop enough for her to breath on her own. She was a little fighter though, and continued to make improvements as the days passed by. They still didn’t know if she would have any lasting problems from being robbed of her nutrition in utero, but she seems okay for now.

They tried to visit as much as they could, but it was difficult with two babies at home needing constant care and attention. Louis has been so thankful for Anne and Jay over the past few weeks, coming over to help them out. Today is the day, though, that she finally gets to come home. Louis can’t imagine the chaos that will ensue once their third baby comes home, but he and Harry couldn’t wait to have their family all under one roof, finally.

“I think our Tiny Tadpole is definitely ready,” Louis replies smiling down at the baby. Both girls, being identical, look so much like Harry, it hurts Louis’ chest. Now that they’ve gotten older and less squashed looking, Louis can tell that they will have green eyes. They already have two dimples when they make faces, and Louis would bet money that their hair will be curly. He is going to have to beat potential suitors off with a stick whey they are older. He shudders to think. Their Daddy is already pretty enough and he’s a man, what’s going to happen with two little girls?

They say their goodbyes to all of the nurses, Harry sniffling because it feels like they have all become a part of their family. They have spent so much time around them, and they have all taken such good care of their babies. Louis didn’t know how to repay them, but he makes a mental note to ask his assistant to send a care basket or something.

He and Harry place Darcy into the carseat, becoming pros at this point, then get into the car themselves. “It’s so hard to believe,” Harry says a few moments later, breaking the silence.

“What is?” Louis asks even though he thinks he knows.

“That we are a family of five. I mean, Lou, I had all but given hope that this would happen for us. Now we have three beautiful babies. We are a family,” Harry says, voice cracking with emotion.

Louis blinks back tears, understanding Harry’s sentiment completely. He was beginning to lose hope too, he just didn’t say it aloud like Harry had. He grabs Harry’s hand and kisses his knuckles. “I know, baby, but we never lost hope. And we never will again.”

 

Fin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was an emotional roller coaster for me. Thank you so much for reading!  
> Kudos and Comments are always welcome!  
> Follow me on my social media for updates or just to chat xx  
> Twitter: @Wicked_Archer  
> Tumblr: wicked-archer


	13. NOT A CHAPTER

I realized I never gave proper credit to my beta for this fic, so I wanted to take a moment in the final chap to properly thank her. Zoe (@Their_Golden_Fool on Twitter and The_Girl_Almighty on here), really saved me for this fic. As I said, I had no idea what it was like to be pregnant. If it wasn't for her, I am sure this wouldn't be what it is. This was written in 20 Days (!), and she had given up just as much of her time for it as I had since I didn't have time to go back through it like I do with all my fics. She was a fucking saint, and she deserves all the credit in the world and more. She didn't have to spend so much time helping me, but she did. This fic is so fucking special to me for many reasons, so I am very very grateful to her. 

 

Also, I wanted to let you all know that if you liked this story, maybe you should check out some of my others. I have an ongoing WIP right now called Take me to Church. You may love it! The boys are in high school. Harry is a goth atheist with a hidden past while Louis a preppy church boy who has a thing for Harry. I promise, it is better and way less cliche than it sounds! Let me know. 

 

Thank you for reading this fic. I know mpreg and established relationships aren't everyone's thing, so it is very much appreciative. I love you all! xx 


End file.
